Safety
2 hours
Learning Objectives
- •Identify the primary hazards of combination loader/backhoe operation
- •Explain underground utility location duties and the Massachusetts Dig Safe requirement
- •Describe the requirements of Massachusetts Jackie's Law (520 CMR 14.00) for trench work
- •State the safe practices for working near overhead power lines and on slopes
Topics Covered
- •Primary hazards: tip-over, struck-by from the swinging backhoe, cave-in of the trench being dug, contact with utilities, and rollover during loader/travel work
- •Underground utility location: contact Dig Safe (call 811) before digging — required by Massachusetts law and 29 CFR 1926.651
- •Hand-dig "test pits" to expose marked utilities before machine excavation near them
- •Massachusetts Jackie's Law (520 CMR 14.00): a permit is required before creating a trench on public or private property
- •Jackie's Law: unattended trenches must be made safe — barriers, covers, or backfill — to protect the general public
- •Jackie's Law: serious injuries or fatalities at a trench must be reported to the State Police within one hour
- •Overhead power lines: maintain the required clearance; treat all lines as energized; a spotter watches clearance
- •Slope and stability: operate up and down slopes rather than across; keep the loaded bucket low; know the machine's rated slope
- •Keep all personnel out of the backhoe swing radius and away from the loader path; only an approved signaler directs the operator
- •Never use the loader or backhoe bucket to lift or carry workers
Resources
Self-Check Questions
Question 1: Before digging with a backhoe loader anywhere in Massachusetts, what must be done about underground utilities?
- A. Nothing, if the area looks undeveloped
- B. Contact Dig Safe (call 811) and have utilities located before excavation begins(correct)
- C. Dig slowly and stop if you hit something
- D. Only check for utilities if the job is on a public way
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Massachusetts law and 29 CFR 1926.651 require contacting Dig Safe (811) before excavation so utilities can be located and marked. Hitting an unmarked gas or electric line can be fatal — the call is mandatory, not optional.
Question 2: Under Massachusetts Jackie's Law (520 CMR 14.00), when is a permit required to create a trench?
- A. Only for trenches on public ways
- B. Only for trenches deeper than 10 feet
- C. For any trench, on public or private property(correct)
- D. Only when a municipality specifically requests one
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Jackie's Law requires a trench permit before creating a trench on public or private property. The law was enacted after a child died in an unprotected backyard trench, so it applies broadly — not just to public ways.
Question 3: Under Jackie's Law, how must an unattended trench be handled to protect the general public?
- A. It may be left open if it is on private property
- B. It must be made safe — for example by covers, barriers, or backfill — to prevent unauthorized access(correct)
- C. Caution tape around it is always sufficient
- D. Only trenches near schools require protection
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Jackie's Law requires unattended trenches to be made safe against unauthorized access using covers, barriers, or backfill. An open, unguarded trench is exactly the hazard the law was written to prevent.
Question 4: Under Jackie's Law, how quickly must a serious injury or fatality at a trench be reported to the State Police?
- A. Within one hour of the incident(correct)
- B. Within 24 hours
- C. Within 8 hours
- D. By the end of the work week
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Jackie's Law (520 CMR 14.00) requires that a serious injury or fatality at a trench be reported to the State Police within one hour. This is in addition to OSHA reporting obligations.
Question 5: Utilities have been marked near where you will dig. What is the correct next step before bringing the backhoe in close?
- A. Dig at full speed since the marks show where utilities are
- B. Hand-dig test pits to physically expose the marked utilities before machine excavation near them(correct)
- C. Ignore the marks if they look old
- D. Only expose utilities deeper than 5 feet
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Locate marks are approximate. The standard safe practice is to hand-dig (carefully expose) the utility in test pits so you can see exactly where it is before excavating near it with the machine.
Question 6: How should a backhoe loader be operated on a slope?
- A. Across the slope to spread the load over the tires
- B. Up and down the slope, with the loaded bucket carried low, within the machine's rated slope angle(correct)
- C. Always with the backhoe extended downhill for counterweight
- D. Slopes are never a concern for rubber-tired machines
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Operate up and down slopes rather than across them, keep the loaded bucket low to lower the center of gravity, and stay within the manufacturer's rated slope angle. Traversing across a slope greatly increases tip-over risk.
Question 7: A worker asks you to lift them in the loader bucket to reach an overhead point. What should you do?
- A. Lift them slowly and carefully
- B. Lift them only if they hold onto the bucket
- C. Refuse — the loader or backhoe bucket must never be used to lift or carry personnel(correct)
- D. Lift them if a signaler directs the move
Show Explanation
Explanation:
A loader or backhoe bucket is never an approved personnel platform. There is no fall protection, no controlled descent, and an unexpected hydraulic movement can crush or eject the rider. Refuse and use proper equipment such as an aerial lift.