HSE has issued a safety alert to users of excavators fitted with quick hitch devices following a number of serious incidents in the construction industry, including four fatalities since December 2006.

Quick hitches are latching devices that enable attachments to be connected to the dipper arm of the plant and changed quickly and are in common use throughout the construction industry.

The four fatal incidents in the last 12 months were all using semi-automatic quick hitches, but there have been accidents involving both manual and automatic types in the past.

The HSE's safety alert calls for the following precautions to be taken when using the devices:

• excavator operators should be adequately trained on the use of quick hitches in general;

• excavator operators should be competent to use the specific hitch on the machine they use;

• the manufacturer-supplied retaining pin must be available on the machine;

• ad-hoc replacements of pins with large bolts wire or other substitutes should be forbidden in all circumstances;

• there should be a system for checking that the pin is in place on the hitch before starting the work and every time a different attachment is fitted;

• operators should be instructed not to use the machine unless they are satisfied that the quick hitch is secured in place. If the operator cannot see from the cab of the vehicle due to poor weather then they must visually check from the ground;

• those in control of sites should undertake random checks to ensure the precautions are being implemented.

Copies of the safety alert are available from: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/quickhitch.htm.

Source: HSE press release, December 11 2007 (HS)