Equipment training center gives inside look at 'Workplace Safety Week'

Equipment training center gives inside look at 'Workplace Safety Week'


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WEST VALLEY CITY — Last year Utahns reported nearly 50,000 injuries on the job, including everything from cuts and broken bones to deadly accidents.

As part of Utah's first Workplace Safety Week, KSL got an exclusive hands-on look at the training heavy equipment operators get to make their jobs safer.

At the Operating Engineers Apprenticeship Training Facility, heavy equipment operators hone their skills. High-risk jobs require a high level of safety training; safety on the equipment requires experience.

In one of the facility's hydraulic cranes, Randy Thacker gave a crash course in operating the heavy machinery.

"The first lever right here is the ball, which will lift it up and down," he said.

Thacker is a crane operator trainer at the facility. He described the crane as a construction site workhorse that lifts beams, towers and pipe. It's not something that can be clumsily moved — it requires a focus on safety.

"You want to take your time and be aware of the people around you," he said. "That's the key."

About 1,000 heavy equipment operators are trained every year. Many receive state and federal safety certifications. Even then, the equipment can be tricky to maneuver.

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"It's easy to get confused with your left and right and up and down," Thacker said. "It really is."

Heavy equipment operators start in class before they get in the machines. Refresher courses, like for mine workers, are held in the classroom as well.

"We can train our people and our workers so they can go home safely every night," said Jeff Anderson, operating engineers apprenticeship administrator.

State statistics show that of injuries reported in Utah last year, 8,000 were construction-related. Professionals train for days to ensure the materials resonate. Ultimately, they hope to prevent construction-related accidents by training effectively.

"(It's) so they can be efficient for the company they're working for, and that they can be safe for the company they're working for," Anderson said.

Sen. Karen Mayne, D-West Valley, sponsored the legislation for Workplace Safety Week to create a "culture of safety." She commended the facility for it's approach to safety education.

"We need to make sure people are safe on the job," she said. "We need to make sure people are trained. This facility is hands on."

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Jed Boal

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