Safety checklist — Heavy equipment
Operation of excavators, loaders and construction equipment. Based on Québec's Construction Safety Code (CSTC) and CNESST standards.
Before operations
11 items- ✓
PPE worn: hard hat, high-visibility vest, boots, hearing protection
- ✓
Pre-operation inspection: brakes, steering, levels, backup alarm
- ✓
ROPS/FOPS structure intact (rollover/falling object protection)
- ✓
Seatbelt functional and worn
- ✓
Work zone surveyed: slopes, obstacles, underground services
- ✓
Signal person designated if reduced visibility
- ✓
Safe distance maintained between machine and ground personnel
- ✓
No transporting people unless designated seating provided
- ✓
Working on slope: bucket or blade on uphill side
- ✓
Backup alarm functional — check rear zone before reversing
- ✓
No vehicle or machine within 3 m of the top, unless reinforced shoring (3.15.3 (5))
After operations
3 items- ✓
Machine parked on level ground, bucket/blade down
- ✓
Parking brake set, key removed
- ✓
Usage report and anomalies logged
14 verification items — use this checklist on-site with the app
Use on-site — freePDF reports, history and team management in the app
For information only — this is not legal advice. OK Sécurité is an independent company with no affiliation to the CNESST: we are not mandated, endorsed or certified by it. Completing a checklist here does not by itself establish your compliance — your exact obligations depend on your job site and your prevention program. Where there is any discrepancy, the official text published by Légis Québec or the CNESST prevails.
More checklists — Equipment & Hoisting
More safety checklists
Risks and prevention — Heavy equipment
Operating excavators, loaders, and dozers poses risks of rollover, pedestrian crushing, and underground utility strikes. CSTC 3.10.12 requires a backup alarm on the vehicles it lists. The daily check in 2.15.1 e) applies to lifting apparatus, not every earthmover.
A CCQ competency card is an R-20 matter, not CSTC. A site signal person follows 2.8.3 / 2.8.5 for the reversing cases it names. A cab seatbelt is not a CSTC “mandatory” article.
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