California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders
Group 3 - General Plant Equipment and Special Operations
Article 12 - Tree Work, Maintenance or Removal
Section 3424 - Mobile Equipment

Universal Citation: 8 CA Code of Regs 3424

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

(a) General.

(1) All vehicles and mobile equipment shall be equipped, maintained and operated in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, applicable safety orders of the California Code of Regulations, Title 8, including, but not limited to, the provisions contained in this Article 12 of the General Industry Safety Orders.

(2) Prior to the daily use of vehicles and mobile equipment, visual inspections and operational checks shall be made in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

(3) No part of the employee's body shall be used to locate or attempt to stop a hydraulic leak.

(4) Transportation of employees and materials shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Article 27 of these Orders.

(5) Vehicles shall not be operated at speeds which will endanger the driver or workers.

(b) Aerial Devices.

(1) All aerial devices used for operations within the scope of this standard shall be in accordance with Article 24 of the General Industry Safety Orders except as modified by the provisions contained in this Article 12 of the General Industry Safety Orders.

(2) Placement of an employee in a tree with the aid of an aerial device shall be accomplished in the following manner:

(A) Prior to leaving the personnel basket or platform for entry into the tree, employees shall be secured to the tree in accordance with the requirements in Sections 3422 and 3427 before releasing the personal fall protection system attached to the aerial device. The procedure shall be reversed when entering the personnel basket or platform from a tree.

(1) Each rotary drum tree or brush chipper or disk-type tree or brush chipper not equipped with a mechanical infeed system shall be equipped with an infeed hopper not less than 85 inches, measured from the blades or knives to ground level over the centerline of the hopper, and shall have sufficient height on its side members so as to prevent personnel from contacting the blades or knives of the machine during normal operations.

(2) Each rotary drum tree or brush chipper or disk-type tree or brush chipper not equipped with a mechanical infeed system shall have a flexible anti-kickback device installed in the infeed hopper for the purpose of protecting the operator and other persons in the machine area from the hazards of flying chips and debris.

(3) All brush chippers shall be equipped with a locking device on the ignition system to prevent unauthorized starting of the equipment.

(4) Trailer chippers detached from trucks shall be chocked or otherwise secured.

(5) Cutting bar and blades shall be kept sharp, properly adjusted and otherwise maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

(6) Each disk-type tree or brush chipper equipped with a mechanical infeed system shall have a quick stop and reversing device on the infeed. The activating lever for the quick stop and reversing device shall be located across the top, along each side of, and as close to the feed end of the infeed hopper as practicable and within easy reach of the operator.

(7) Rotary drum or disk-type brush chippers shall be fed from the side of the centerline, and the operator shall immediately turn away from the feed table when the brush is taken into the rotor.

(8) Employees shall never place hands, arms, feet, legs, or any other part of the body on the feed table when the brush chipper is in operation or the rotor is turning.

(9) Climbing equipment, ropes, body belts, harnesses and lanyards shall not be worn while operating chippers.

(10) The brush chipper discharge chute or cutter housing cover shall not be opened or removed while any part of the chipper is turning or moving.

(11) Material such as stones, nails, and similar debris shall not be fed into the brush chipper. Ropes that present an entanglement hazard shall be prevented from entering the point of operation of the chipper.

(12) Chipper mounted winches shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

1. Amendment of subsections (b)(1) and (c) filed 8-8-85; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 85, No. 32).
2. Amendment of subsection (a)(1), new subsections (a)(2)-(5), amendment of subsections (b)(1) and (b)(2)(A) and new subsections (c)(7)-(12) filed 9-25-2012; operative 10-25-2012 (Register 2012, No. 39).

Note: Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor Code.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. California may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

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