knowledge

Using such heavy machinery as excavators can be dangerous. The bucket could fall off injuring someone. The excavator could trip over and crash. Or even the swinging arm of the machine could hit somebody.

This raises the safety concern. How safe is it to work with excavators? Well, while excavators cannot be done away with, safety measures can put in place to reduce the chances of accidents occurring. And should an accident happen then there should be appropriate safety procedure to contain it and prevent further damage.

We will highlight potential hazards, the possible triggers of accidents and explore measures to mitigate them. Then we shall see how to respond when an accident does happen.

Potential Hazards and Mitigation Measures.

Hazards related to Personnel operating the excavator.

Excavators are very technical machines requiring specialized knowledge and expertise to operate. In the hands of an incompetent person things could easily go out of hand. The solution is simply letting the experts do the work.

The operators should periodically undergo refresher safety training so that they are prepared for any eventuality. Failure to do so is hazardous.

The operators must strictly follow the manufacturer’s instruction and don’t override any without consulting the supervisor. Only recommended components like buckets should be used. Weight must be taken into account. Overloading could make it topple.

Hazards related to the working area.

Scope the surrounding for any potential hazards. Are there any overhead or underground water or power lines in the area? If there are, how far from the site are they? Get this clear to avoid damages and prevent hazards.

How is the terrain vis-a-vis the manufacturer’s recommendation?

The importance of factoring in these issues well before beginning the work is that you preempt any dangerous situations and come up with measures that will enable you go about the work safely.

The working site must also have appropriate warning signage and barricades to keep off unauthorized persons.

Hazards that relate to other people in the site.

There is a grave danger in people approaching the excavator while in operation. The operator incognizant of the person may unintentionally injure them.

Should there be need to approach the working radius of the machine, communication should be made to the operator. And only advance when the operator grants such permission.

Let other site workers be made aware of the excavator’s mode of operation so that they keep out of harm’s way. They will get to avoid blind spots and the swing arears of the excavator.

At no time should anyone be beneath the excavator with loads hanging over them.

Hazards related to the excavator.

You will agree with me other safety measures would be useless if the machine itself is not in good condition. This calls for frequent servicing maintenance to ensure it is good, working-worthy condition.

Its controls should be checked against a checklist and only allowed to begin work when confirmed to be in good condition. The safety measures also must confirmed to be in place.

For excavators that use tyres, the tyres must be in good condition and properly inflated for this has an impact in the overall stability of the excavator.

Responding To An Accident.

While measures are put in place to prevent accidents, from time to time accidents do occur. When an accident happens, first raise an alarm and call for help. Then assess the safety of the accident scene. If it is safe proceed and administer first aid as wait for professional help.

How to read the dictionary?

Dictionary tells a lot more than just the meaning of a word. Most of us do not pay attention to the details in the way it represents the meanings.(the mentioned points may work only for recognized publications)
Apart from the phonetics or pronunciation there is more to be read between the lines. Dictionary is a compendium of infinite knowledge; all you need is the key to decipher the code. Here is a little help for you to start.
A word is mentioned in bold if it is an original entry and it is mentioned in italics if it is from another language.
If a word is used as more than one parts of speech then the forms are mentioned either after symbols like (n. and v.) or noun verb after which meaning is given.
The plural form, the word as it is used as a verb, the adjectives and adverbs associated with it are mentioned in parenthesis () alongside.
Sometimes if the word is attached to a typical word or verb for eg. Donation (of money) is mentioned with it.
You also get to know if the word is a slang as you usually find that mentioned there. With slang we refer to an informal language which is not considered appropriate in formal usage. Slangs are of two types one is coarse which is in spite of usage is still not acceptable and other one is called Offensive which is not particularly entertained by a certain ethnic or religious group.
Even tenses of certain words are mentioned.
Compound words or words which are often used together like storybook, bedtime even such words could be available for your reference.

How to improve your vocabulary?

You can increase your vocabulary only if you want to. There are so many words that we read in newspapers and magazines around us but seldom use, because we are not sure about its meaning. Vocabulary building is not a day’s affair and neither will learning ten difficult words per day help boost it. Learning words is like lugging up the recipe without being able to cook .Start learning basic words known and try using them while you speak and write.

Keep note of words that you read frequently but do not use.
Try to comprehend the meaning of a word by reading it in context to the sentence and only after that check it in the dictionary to confirm.
Use better words if you can for daily usage like exhausted for being tires or befriended for made friends. Don’t force it too hard that it shows, but try it once in a while.
Try finding the etymology of the word as it not only increases your interest but helps you recognize more words that have the same root or from the similar origin. For eg. if you know that chromos means time then you can get into terms with words like synchronous, chronology etc. Doing so you will start feeling comfortable with even difficult words.
Basics are important in any science and words also have their share of fundamentals. Almost all words have a prefix, root and suffix. for e.g. the word Devitalize is made up of de+ vita+ lize, where “de” is the prefix used for devoid of or detach something of, ”vita” is the root meaning life in Latin and “lize” is the suffix used for constructing the verb. Try deconstructing words to extract tools that would help you form your own words.
Poetry is a like a canvas which helps you play with words ,if only it attracts you try writing poems and look for rhymes to your words ,this helps in recalling words that are there in your word bank but you don’t use them anymore.

Potential Hazards And Safety Tips When Using Excavators

How to read dictionary and improve your vocabulary?

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