Risk assessment - use of a bulldozer

There are many hazards associated with the operation of a bulldozer that can present risks to staff. Left unmanaged, these could cause accidents and potentially put you on the wrong side of the law.

Managing the risks

To help you identify the hazards associated with the use of a bulldozer, e.g. contact with other plant and machinery, untrained operators etc., and the appropriate ways of controlling them, use our example Risk Assessment - Use of a Bulldozer. It covers the generic hazards associated with this type of activity and suggests control measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level.

You should ensure that your document only addresses “significant” hazards, i.e. any that could, and more importantly are likely to, cause an accident or injury.

Make your instructions clear

Don’t include activities in your document that simply don’t need to be there. Work to the principle that if there is any chance of your staff being unaware of the safe way of doing something, then you will need to make it clear in your document. Finally, always ensure that any control measures you identify and follow, only go “so far as is reasonably practicable”.   

Note. The list of potential hazards is not exhaustive. However, for your risk assessment to be considered suitable and sufficient in the eyes of the law it must accurately reflect the “significant” hazards found when operating a bulldozer.