Guarding of Excavator

based machines In
Forestry Operations 1
 INTRODUCTION
 Mechanised equipment in the forestry sector
provides a safer working environment with
fewer people infield that manual operations.
 Operators must however be protected
against falling, flying or intruding objects or
material by means of suitable cabs,
screens, grills, shields, deflectors, guards
and/or structures.
 Machines used in forestry can include
equipment from construction manufacturers
e.g.excavators, agricultural manufacturers
e.g. tractors and forestry equipment
manufacturers .

2
 INTRODUCTION
 Most machines come standard with the
following applicable to the industry for
which it was designed and built :
 ROPS: roll-over protective structures
 FOPS: falling object protective
structures
 TOPS: tip over protective structures
 OPS: operator protection structures
 When equipment from one industry is
introduced into a different industry, the
machine specifications may no longer be
sufficient to meet the new industry’s
safety requirements.

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 RISK ASSESSMENT
 The reason for having to fit additional safety
features on excavators introduced into
forestry operations is found in the OHS Act
where an excavator cab is regarded as an
“operator’s workplace”.
 A typical equipment operator workplace
(cab) is subjected to four main risks:

 The machine rolling over

 The cab being hit by falling objects
 Flying objects penetrating the cab
 The machine tipping over onto its side

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 OBJECTIVE
 To meet safety requirements, a purpose-
built machine designed for forestry
operations could be sourced.
 However, in South Africa it is normally more
economically feasible to source machines
designed for generic applications and
modify them for forestry operations.
 The following risk control measures can be
evaluated and implemented:

 Install sufficient ROPS, FOPS and cab

protection
 Define operational capabilities on the
machine, for example slope limitation.
 Ensure operators are trained and
competent in the use of the machine
 Maintain machine and components to an
acceptable standard

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 OPERATOR PROTECTIVE
STRUCTURES
 Protective structures should be fitted to
excavator-based machines used in forestry.
 These structures must be designed and
installed to provide an adequate view for the
operator.

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 OPERATOR PROTECTIVE
STRUCTURES

 The matrix that follows is based on the

technical capability of the attachment fitted
to the machine.

 The only other criteria used will be if small

flying objects (chain teeth etc) are present
or not.

 It has been assumed in the matrix that

machines will adhere to accepted safe
working distances from other forestry
machines during operations.

 Note that the matrix specifies the minimum

requirements.

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 OPERATOR PROTECTIVE
STRUCTURES
Machine ROP FOP OPS OP Guards OP OP Operator
Type (e.g bars Guards Guards Restraint
Mesh) (polycarb (Chain (Safety
onate catchers Belts)
Glazing) & energy
absorbing
chain shot
guards)

Harvester Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
FB Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
C/saw

Processor N N Y N Y Y Y
Roadside

Processor Y Y Y N Y Y Y
Infield

Debarker Y/N Y/N Y Y Y N Y

Delimbing

Shovel Y/N Y/N Y Y Y NA Y

Logging

Log Y/N N Y Y N NA Y
Loading

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 OPERATOR PROTECTIVE
STRUCTURES

 ROPS: All machines which are going infield

should have ROPS.

 FOPS: Not needed for processors, de-

barkers, shovel logging and log loading,
unless going infield.

 OPS: Bars/mesh: Machines that should

have bars/mesh include all machines,
unless polycarbonate glass is thick enough
for it to not be necessary.

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 Operator Protection
Structures

 The ISO (International Organization for

Standardization) standard descriptions for:

 Roll Over Protection Structures (ROPS)

 Falling Objective Structures (FOPS)
 Operator Protection Structures (OPS)
 Operator Protective Guards

were used as a guide to determine the

required safety features.

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 Operator Protective
Guards
 Each machine must have a cab that is fully
enclosed with mesh material/vertical bars
with openings no greater than 50mm.
 The cab may be closed with other material
where it can be demonstrated that such
material provides equivalent protection and
visibility.
 Guards must be installed in front of all
window areas exposed to flying or intruding
hazards.

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 Operator Protective
Guards
 The enclosure of the upper portion of the
cab must allow maximum visibility.
 Visibility is not required for the lower portion
of the cab where there are control panels.
 The guards should be a minimum of 100mm
and a maximum of 200mm from the window.

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 Operator Protective
Guards
 The diagram of FOPS and OPS below only
serves as an example. The final design will
depend on the type and excavator
manufacturer.

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 Operator Protective
Guards
(polycarbonate glazing)
 When transparent material is used to
enclose the upper portion of the cab, it must
be made of safety glass that provides
equivalent protection and visibility.
 Safety glass that is cracked or broken may
create a hazard for the operator and must
be replaced before work is permitted to
continue.
 The safety glass should be fitted on the
outside of the machine cab, if possible.
 Safety glass (polycarbonate) should be at
least 12mm to 32mm thick depending on
application used.
 Curved or angled safety glass appears to
guide flying object away more easily when
hitting the glass.

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 Tip Over Protection
Structure (TOPS)
 Operator protective structures must have a
minimum of two exits, allowing for exit after
a roll over.
 The alternative emergency exit must be
clearly marked both inside and outside the
cab.
 Where damage has been sustained to any
structure, the machine should be assessed
by the original designer or other suitable
qualified and experienced personnel.
 Doors and hatches must be closed during
operations.

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 Operator Protective Guards
Guards and Shields

 Due to high speeds, high stress, heavy

loads, wear factors, and varying levels of
repair and maintenance given to saw-chain
and disc saw based equipment, there is a
possibility that chain or chain pieces can be
thrown from the machine at high speed.

 Operators and bystanders are exposed to a

risk of serious injury.

 Machines should be designed with

appropriate guards and shields, and care
should be taken to minimize the exposure of
users and bystanders to the cutting plane of
the saw.

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 Operator Protective Guards
Guards and Shields
 All operators must be protected either by
machine guarding or by work position from
hazards such as being injured by chain
shot.

 For maximum protection, machines should

be equipped with a Chain Catcher, and an
energy absorbing chain shot guard.

Felling head showing broken chain

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 Operator Protective guards
Chain Catcher

 A Chain Catcher can help contain thrown

chain links, and is a complement to guards
and shields.
 The Chain Catcher is a sturdy rod placed
perpendicular to the centre of the drive
sprocket.
 It can be mounted either to the drive shaft,
or to the saw box, with a narrow gap to
allow for chain installation and removal.
Deflector and chain catcher peg

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 Operator Protective Guards
Chain Shot Guard

 A Chain Shot Guard is an energy-absorbing

piece of material (such as heavy rubber)
mounted behind the drive sprocket.

 This guard absorb’s the energy of a broken

chain coming in contact with the saw box,
and prevents chain parts from breaking off
and being ejected.

 It also acts as an extension of the saw box,

reducing the opportunity for thrown chain or
chain parts to escape the saw box.

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 Operator Protective Guards
Chain Shot Guard

 The table below summarizes typical values

with comparative ballistic benchmarks.
 Chain shot has properties similar to a 9 mm
bullet.
 Saw teeth and mulcher teeth, while similar
in energy to a shotgun slug, are heavier and
slower.

Type of object Mass (g) Velocity (M/S) Energy (J)

.404 c/saw tooth 11 300 495

50mm saw tooth 300 85 1084

60mm saw tooth 800 110 4840

Fixed tooth 1800 46 1904

mulcher
9mm bullet 8 358 513

12-gauge rifled 28 483 3266

slug

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 Operator Protective Guards
 Three window configuration testing results:

Type Thickness Description

In mm
1 19 Polycarbonate - LEXGARDƒ RC-750

laminate - three-ply LEXANƒ polycarbonate

2 19 Polycarbonate / Acrylic - LEXGARD MP750

laminate is a three-ply LEXANƒ
polycarbonate and acrylic laminate

3 32 Polycarbonate - LEXGARDƒ SP-1250

laminate - four-ply LEXANƒ polycarbonate
laminate

Type No of Observations
Tests

1 10 Projectiles were able to penetrate the

material and cause a 5mm deformation on
the rear surface on the window.

2 7 Projectiles where able to penetrate the outer

polycarbonate layer, but were contained by
the acrylic layer. The rear layer of
polycarbonate was not penetrated, however it
was partially delaminated.
3 9 Projectiles were able to penetrate the
material to a maximum depth of 18 mm.

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 Operator Protective Guards
 The Mechanical Harvesting Handbook
(Oregon 2004) explains the phenomenon of
chain shot:
Sequence of events Diagrammatic representaion

After a chain break …………

The free end of the chain begins to

whip away from the break.

If the chain is not contained by the saw

box or an energy-absorbing guard, the
broken chain’s free end can speed up
rapidly and carry immense dynamic
energy.

At the peak of the whip, chain parts Fragments have been measured at
may break loose and be ejected at between 180 and 310 m/s under
high speed, especially if the free end of
the chain strikes the saw box. Chain .
laboratory simulated conditions
shot can cause chain parts to be
thrown in many directions, especially

along the plane of the saw bar .

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 Operator Protective Guards
 Examples for flying objects:

 There is a wide variety of cutting tools with

teeth that range in mass.
 Operating speeds also vary depending on
the type of cutter and the intended
application.
 Each of the illustrated objects has become
detached although there is no information
on frequency of occurrence or incident rate.
 While failure modes are unclear, the general
assumption is that thrown objects have an
initial velocity equal to the tip speed of the
cutting tool.
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 Seat Belts

 A seat belt must be provided for all

machines.
 Each machine seat belt must meet the
requirements of the SABS/SANS.

Lights
 Additional lights should be fitted to the cab.
Good visibility at night is essential for safe
operation.

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 Summary

 Perform a risk assessment when purchasing

new equipment to consider if engineering
designs can reduce the risk to the operator.
 Ask manufacturers what designs are in
place to reduce risks to the operators.
 Ultimately, selection of a machine depends
upon things like the intended use,
operational environment, economic
considerations and availability of machines.
 It is the responsibility of those who select
the machine to determine the relevant
information to be provided to a supplier so
that both parties can make a well-informed
decision on machine suitability and
associated safety risks.

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