Restrain yourself

The measures equipment manufacturers go through to ensure an operator is safe seem endless. Back up cameras, alarms, kill-switches, operator protective structures, and seatbelts are just a few of the precautionary systems on heavy-duty equipment.

But, ultimately an operator’s safety comes down to whether he or she chooses to utilize what is available.

Custom Products of Litchfield, Litchfield, MN, has been producing custom cabs and operator protection for the off-highway industry since 1962. Jim Schmitt, director of engineering and regulatory compliance says, “Designers and manufacturers of mobile off-highway vehicles inherently consider a broad scope of both passive and active safety systems that are individually selected and applied to protect the owner’s investment in the equipment, as well as the employees who operate the equipment whose safety is dependent on the quality of these systems.”

Companies such as Securon Ltd., Amersham, England, and Beam’s Seatbelts of Oklahoma City, OK, and IMMI, Westfield, IN, provide seatbelts and harnesses for operators of heavy-duty mobile off-highway equipment.

“Foremost is the efficacy of roll-over protective structures (ROPS) when applied to off-highway vehicles. The protective quality of a ROPS is severely limited in the absence of a qualified operator restraint system,” says Schmitt.

Peter Gent, Securon’s Quality & Special Product Sales Director agrees, “Seat belts certainly protect the operator from ejection, but serious injuries can occur even if the operator is not thrown from the vehicle. The restraining of the occupant in the seat and minimizing the effect of the impact play major roles in reducing injury.”

Comfort is key

Though basic seatbelt design has not significantly changed for many years, manufacturers are designing their systems to be more comfortable to promote daily wearing by operators.

Mike Bosley, president of Beam’s Seatbelts says, “There is a continued strong interest … in operator comfort. The best seatbelt in the world is of no use if it’s not worn. Thus, manufacturers are quite interested in operator compliance in terms of actually wearing the seatbelt and wearing it properly.”

Typical belt (a.k.a. strap or web) widths are made of strands of polyester, 2 or 3 inches wide, depending on the application and harshness of the environment the operator will be subjected to for a specific amount of time. “Generally the minimum strap width is 46 mm (1.81 inches),” explains Schmitt.

He adds, “Poorly designed operator restrains that restrict normal required motion of the operator do not motivate operators to always use the restraint. Rough-riding equipment where the restraint does not follow the multi-axis movement of the operator can be quite uncomfortable.

“Frequently, users of off-highway equipment operate these machines in less than ideal environments for extended periods of time. Being alert and focused is essential to maximizing productivity. When an operator has to divert his attention to bracing himself so he doesn’t fall off of the equipment or lose control, productivity is reduced while fatigue is increased.”

To add extra comfort, manufacturers of seatbelts are working to combine restraint with movement. Retractors allow extra strap to be stored out of the way of the operator.

“A stretch buckle generally has an elastic element sewn into a fold in the webbing. The webbing still holds the ultimate load of the seatbelt, but the elastic provides a little extra extension. An anti-cinch retractor allows the webbing to extend further between locking positions. This helps the retractor avoid successive locking, or cinching when operated in a rough environment where the operator may bounce up and down in the chair,” explains Bosley.