DESCRIPTION
The provision of fuel and AdBlue to excavators historically involved work at height. The MPA statistics from 2014 -2022 show that 17% of the fatal injuries related to falls from height and 2 of the lost time injuries involved falls during fuelling operations.
This operation is carried out on all sites where machines must be refuelled with both liquids daily. The work is physically challenging due to ground and weather conditions, the slippery nature of any spilled fluids, all factors which can lead to a significant risk of slipping, tripping or falling, particularly when lifting or carrying hoses or drums whilst climbing on machines. Many refuelling operations in the industry are carried out at times when the machines are parked, such as break times and outside of operational hours, this may also expose the operator to the extra hazards of working alone.
In 2020, an employee of Chepstow Plant International slipped from a walkway while refuelling and broke a rib. This resulted in the company setting up an initiative to look at elimination of the work at height element from its refuelling operations. The provision of ground level diesel addition was already in train with manufacturers, but the AdBlue addition process, that involved identical risks, had not gained any traction.
For more information about how Chepstow Plant resolved the issue of safe delivery of Adblue please view the full article in the ‘Sharing good practice guide 2026’ and watch the video.
BENEFITS
- System fitted to all Chepstow Excavators
- Eliminates potential for slips, trips and fall from heights during refuelling and greasing
- Operatives no longer required to drag hoses or drums onto raised platforms of excavators
- Reduces times for refilling
- Reduced opportunities for contamination of fuel systems
- Reduced downtime for machines
- Reduced risk of spills and environmental contamination
- System and parts provided by Volvo so retro fits do not breach warranty conditions
- System now available as a standard option on Volvo excavators
- System can be widely adopted across industry
- A safer environment for all.