Among the maintainers of the green and not only the accident due to overturning from PLE often occurs and unfortunately it is often fatal.

Why do these injuries happen?

During the ascent and descent the vehicle in motion transmits forces to the ramps: in ascent, the rotation movement of the tracks or wheels drags and makes the ramps slide, in descent the same thing happens if the vehicle brakes abruptly, due to the inertia of the vehicle mass and of the friction between wheels / tracks and ramp. The ramp, if not properly secured, can slide off the edge of the floor and cause the vehicle to tip over sideways. Excessive speed and sudden movements can favor the accident. If this happens and the man is on board without a seat belt, the risk is fatal; if he is close to the ground with a wire-guided PLE, he can be crushed.

How to prevent these injuries?

Since this is an operation that still presents the risk of overturning:
- use trucks compatible with ramps and always put the retaining tips of the ramps;
- if the worker is on board the MEWP / excavator, the roll-bar must be present and the seat belt must always be fastened, even if the operation takes a few seconds;
- if the worker uses a remote control and is not on board, he must position himself so as not to be within the potential fall radius of the vehicle, especially in environments with other structures that limit the available space;
- moderate the speed of ascent / descent of the vehicle on the ramps.
For more information and insights on safety, download the "PLE overturning and excavators during descent / ascent from trucks" sheet by clicking here.