Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrh8W7Q6eVQ (5 min)

Operator safety, part 2. Mike from Rippa USA Sales explains why you should always disconnect the hydraulics before you get in or out of an excavator, even if you are only stepping out for a moment. If you have not seen part 1, watch it first.

THE RULE

Before you climb in or out, turn around, reach for something, or step away, raise the safety lever bar to disconnect the hydraulics. This keeps a bumped control from moving the boom, stick, swing or tracks.

WHY IT MATTERS

- Climbing in and out, your leg, shirt, belt or jacket can catch a control. A fast swing or track move can crush a leg.

- On some of the smaller models, like the R10, there is no raised lever style safety device, only a lock. Mike calls this the machine where it is easiest to bump a control while you move in and out, so always check that the hydraulics are off.

- In cab models, raise the lever before you turn around to grab a jacket, lunch or anything else. A bump in the wrong place can crush someone standing near the machine.

- If you are only sitting inside eating lunch or cooling off with the air conditioner running, you do not need the hydraulics engaged. Raise the bar.

A REAL NEAR MISS

Mike describes a moment at the factory when someone bumped a control on a machine next to him, and the boom swung and shattered the cab glass inches from where he was standing. With the safety bar up, it never would have happened.

Questions? Call Rippa USA Sales at 817-382-3201 or visit RippaUSASales.com. We deliver nationwide with flat rate shipping, and you get 50% off attachments when you buy a machine from us.