Health and Safety Advice for Plant Operators
Here at M. Teevan, we understand that customers who come to us to hire plant equipment for the first time may have concerns about what to do to make sure they are handling the machinery safely. Keeping yourself, your workers and members of the general public safe should always be your top priority whenever you are planning or working on a project. This is why we are here to offer advice to those who need it.
As experts in hiring out plant machinery and equipment, we know what it takes to keep people safe on a construction site when our loaned products are being used. So, if you are new to hiring and using plant equipment, we can help you with everything you’ll need to remember when you go to work.
1. Make Sure You Have Plant and Equipment Insurance
One of the most important steps to take (and the first thing you have to do) when preparing to hire plant equipment is to take out hired-in plant insurance. When hiring machinery from a company, you are entering into a contract with that company and you are personally responsible for the condition in which it is returned. If a machine is lost, damaged or stolen, hired-in plant insurance protects both you and your work project’s budget from having to replace it.
Many companies will provide insurance if you are looking to hire plant equipment, so take out a policy before you get the machines you need to complete your job. We have all the information you need about hired in plant insurance on our website, so take a look if you are unsure about anything.
2. Carry Out a Plant Equipment Risk Assessment
When you first start your project and get your equipment, you should always carry out an assessment of potential risks, both on the site and with the machines themselves. Identify any possible hazards and take note of them, ensuring that your workers are also aware of these potential problems and are prepared to take steps to avoid them where possible. Set up measures where you can to prevent them from happening and reduce the risk of delays or accidents.
3. Set up a Safe Zone
Preventing risks from happening will involve setting up safe access and providing a safe place of work, not only for those tackling the project, but also for other employees, contractors working nearby and members of the public who may pass by your site. Set up signs and barriers to prevent people coming through and position your workers where needed to make sure that unauthorised passersby are turned back or redirected.
4. Plan Your Work Beforehand
Having a plan that you and your workers know you will carry out is highly recommended. If you plan every step you intend to take with the heavy plant equipment that you know is exactly right for the job you need done, there is a reduced chance that something will go wrong with your project. Furthermore, the safety of your site is less likely to be compromised if everyone involved in the work is aware of what is happening at all times.
5. Check Your Hired Plant is in Good Working Order
Plant and equipment maintenance should be a high
priority for any company that is hiring out its machines to 
construction sites. However, to be sure that you are getting the heavy plant machinery you hired at the quality and in the condition you expect, you should always check that the equipment is in good working order before it is used. If any of the plant equipment hired is broken, dirty or there are parts missing, it could affect the outcome of your building project, or even cause an accident. If the machinery cannot be used properly or safely, make sure that it is reported and that the faulty equipment is replaced as soon as possible.
6. Look After Your Hired Plant
Always be sure that the people using your hired plant equipment are fully trained and qualified to handle the machines they are using. This advice extends throughout the construction of your project and any potential cleaning or maintenance that you intend to carry out if you still need the equipment before it is sent back to the company you hired from.
When you do this, ensure that the machine is locked off, powered down and has any stored energy released beforehand. You must not attempt any work like this while the machinery is still moving, hot, or unsupported in areas that could fall and injure someone. Mobile plant gear must also be placed in neutral, with the brakes applied and the wheels chocked.
At M. Teevan, we always clean and repair our equipment before we send it out to each construction site it is being loaned to. We also hire out the latest in plant equipment designs, lowering the risk of the machinery getting too worn down, old or damaged to effectively use on your build and saving you time that would normally be taken up by maintenance.
7. Ask the Professionals
With some specialist work and maintenance of equipment, it is highly advisable that you defer to specialist help and advice. For instance, vessels that have been carrying flammable material must be checked before work in a hot area is carried out, in order to avoid the possibility of an explosion. Never undertake work that you are not qualified to carry out and always seek advice from professional sources if you are not sure.
If you are not fully qualified to use plant equipment, or you need an extra person on your site to work the machinery because you have other things to do, you can always hire a worker from us to operate your hired plant machinery for you.
We Hire Plant Equipment
We know that we are experts in hiring out construction plant, and we know that we can provide you with exactly the right machines and advice you need to get your job done. We have had years of experience in loaning out a range of machines, from dumpers and diggers to rollers and skid steers, so there will always be something available to move you a little bit closer to finishing on or even before your deadline. Our loaned equipment is state-of-the-art and will always be in top working order when we lend it to you, helping to keep your site as safe as it can be.
If you need any extra help with the equipment on your site, we can even provide a plant machine operator to use it for you, ensuring that the machinery is being used by a qualified professional.
Contact us Today
If you have been looking for a reliable, London-based company to hire plant equipment and plant operators from, look no further than M. Teevan Hire Ltd. Get in touch with us today and our highly qualified and trained staff will be able to help you choose from our selection, letting you get started on your latest project in no time at all.