Plan Safe High-Reach Excavator Demolition Operations
domain: osha.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Verify the high-reach excavator's ground bearing surface is level, firm, and free of soft soil, mud, or slope before positioning the machine, since these machines typically lack stabilizing outriggers and are top-heavy when extended.
Confirm floor/slab load capacity before operating on any elevated structure, verifying it can support the equipment's weight plus accumulated debris per 29 CFR 1926.856(a).
Establish and enforce an exclusion/drop zone around the work radius, keeping ground personnel out of the fall area, and brief the crew on the operator's blind spots.
Assign an operator with documented experience on hydraulic demolition attachments (crushers, shears, high-reach booms), and complete a task-specific evaluation for the equipment and attachment in use.
Sequence demolition top-down consistent with the engineering survey, avoiding undermining or overloading sections of structure the machine or personnel still depend on for support.
Known gotchas
Extended-boom high-reach machines can tip on ground that looks adequate for standard excavation — soil bearing capacity must be assessed for the specific machine and boom configuration.
Falling debris from a high-reach machine travels farther and less predictably than material removed by hand or a standard-reach excavator — exclusion zones sized for conventional demolition are often too small.
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