External civil works and ground preparation: energy sources and direct controls

External earthworks use excavators, loaders and rollers around people on foot, with ground instability and buried services.

High-energy check

Any item of heavy plant in motion exceeds the 1500 J trigger from the standpoint of a person on foot. Treat every plant and pedestrian interface as high energy.

Run the kinetic calculator for this task Run the gravity calculator for this task

Trigger checks

Mechanical
Moving parts, tools, tension, rotation or stored mechanical force.
Sound
Harmful noise or impulse sound.

Direct controls to verify

Ticks stay on this screen only. Nothing is saved or sent.

Plant and pedestrian routes are physically segregated.
Reversing is controlled by a trained signaller or cameras with exclusion.
Service drawings and scans are checked before ground is broken.
Edges and excavations are protected at the end of each shift.
High-visibility clothing is worn in all plant areas.
Stop if any person enters the plant exclusion.

For your SPA or pre-start

State the plant in use, the segregation between plant and people on foot, the ground and service surveys and who controls reversing operations.

Limitations: This tool supports planning and verification only. It does not replace competent risk assessment, legal duties, employer procedures, client requirements or competent supervision.