Inspections
1.5 hours
Learning Objectives
- •Perform a complete pre-operation walkaround inspection of a backhoe loader
- •Distinguish defects that require removal from service from minor items
- •Explain the operator's duty to tag out and report unsafe equipment
- •Describe the daily excavation inspection duty of the competent person
Topics Covered
- •Pre-operation walkaround: tires/pressure, stabilizer pads and cylinders, loader arms and pins, backhoe boom/dipper/bucket, hoses and fittings
- •Fluid checks: engine oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid level and condition, fuel; check for leaks under the machine
- •Structure check: cracks at welds and pin bosses, bent booms or dippers, ROPS/FOPS condition, bucket teeth and cutting edges
- •Safety devices: seat belt, reverse alarm, horn, lights, mirrors, backup camera if equipped, control lockouts
- •Functional check: start-up, gauges, brakes, steering, loader and backhoe controls through full range, stabilizer operation
- •Removal-from-service conditions: damaged ROPS/FOPS, structural cracks, bulging or leaking hoses, inoperative brakes or steering, missing capacity plate
- •Tag-out and reporting: an operator who finds a defect must remove the machine from service and report it — operating a known-defective machine is the operator's responsibility
- •Daily excavation inspection by a competent person: before each shift, and after rain or any event that increases hazards (29 CFR 1926.651)
- •Document inspections per the employer's program; never sign off on an inspection you did not perform
Resources
Self-Check Questions
Question 1: When should a pre-operation walkaround inspection of a backhoe loader be performed?
- A. Once a week is sufficient
- B. Before each shift, before the machine is put to work(correct)
- C. Only after a repair
- D. Only when the operator notices a problem
Show Explanation
Explanation:
A walkaround inspection is performed before each shift. Catching a defect before work begins is the entire point — many failures give warning signs that a thorough pre-shift check will reveal.
Question 2: During your walkaround you find the parking brake does not hold the machine. What must you do?
- A. Use the bucket curled into the ground as a brake instead
- B. Remove the machine from service and report the defect — inoperative brakes are a removal-from-service condition(correct)
- C. Work only on flat ground for the day
- D. Note it and have it fixed next week
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Inoperative brakes are a removal-from-service condition. A machine that cannot be reliably stopped or held is unsafe on any grade. Tag it out and report it — do not improvise a workaround.
Question 3: Whose responsibility is it if an operator runs a machine they know has a serious defect?
- A. Only the mechanic who missed it
- B. Only the employer
- C. The operator — operating a known-defective machine is the operator's responsibility, and they must tag it out and report it(correct)
- D. No one, as long as nothing breaks that day
Show Explanation
Explanation:
The operator who identifies a defect has a duty to remove the machine from service and report it. Choosing to operate a machine you know is defective makes the operator responsible for the consequences.
Question 4: Under 29 CFR 1926.651, who must inspect an excavation, and how often?
- A. Any worker, once a week
- B. A competent person, before each shift and after rain or any event that increases hazards(correct)
- C. The machine operator, only when entering the trench
- D. An OSHA inspector, monthly
Show Explanation
Explanation:
1926.651 requires a competent person to inspect the excavation before each shift and as needed throughout the shift — including after rainstorms or other hazard-increasing events. Conditions in soil change quickly.
Question 5: The load capacity plate on a backhoe loader is missing. What must you do?
- A. Estimate the capacity from the machine size
- B. Use the previous operator's memory of the rating
- C. Do not operate the machine until the capacity information is restored(correct)
- D. Reduce all loads by half and continue
Show Explanation
Explanation:
A missing or unreadable capacity plate leaves the operator with no way to verify safe limits. OSHA requires capacity to be displayed. Without it, the machine must be taken out of service until the information is restored.
Question 6: Which of these is a removal-from-service condition you should look for during a walkaround?
- A. A small cosmetic paint scratch on the cab
- B. A hydraulic hose with a bulge in the cover(correct)
- C. Mud on the tires from the previous shift
- D. A slightly dirty windshield
Show Explanation
Explanation:
A bulging hose signals internal reinforcement failure and imminent burst — a removal-from-service condition. Cosmetic scratches and mud are housekeeping items; a dirty windshield should be cleaned for visibility but is not a structural defect.
Question 7: Your supervisor asks you to sign the daily inspection sheet for a machine you never actually inspected. What is the correct response?
- A. Sign it to keep the paperwork moving
- B. Sign it but note your concern verbally
- C. Refuse — never sign off on an inspection you did not perform; then perform the inspection(correct)
- D. Sign it only if the machine looks okay from across the yard
Show Explanation
Explanation:
Inspection records must reflect reality. Signing an inspection you did not perform is falsification and removes the safety value of the record. Refuse, and actually carry out the inspection before the machine is used.