The New Generation skid steer loaders from JCB Construction Equipment Australia have been designed with several industry-leading safety features for greater operator safety.
 
Safety has always been an important consideration for mines and other operations that utilise heavy equipment. Earlier this year the West Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum issued a safety bulletin highlighting the inherent danger of traditionally designed skid steer loaders with their front entry point creating the possibility of serious injury for operators.
 
Keeping this risk in mind, the designers of JCB’s New Generation skid steer loaders created the unique and exclusive side door entry. In fact, operator safety is at the core of new product development for JCB with its range of skid steers, backhoes, excavators, telehandlers and Teletruks featuring a range of industry-exclusive safety features.
 
Peter Madigan, JCB Construction Equipment Australia’s Business Improvement Coordinator describes their approach to product development as based on enhancing performance while setting new standards in safety.
 
This commitment to safety has led to the development of a number of industry firsts over the years, including JCB’s New Generation skid steers with an industry exclusive side entry door and single loader arm design enhancing onsite safety and visibility.
 
The side entry door eliminates the need for operators to climb over cumbersome buckets and attachments when entering and exiting the cab, while the single loader arm, based on the proven JCB telehandler design creates stability in the machine and delivers excellent visibility. Peter explains that visibility is a key aspect of safety, both for the operator and for people working around the machine.
 
For instance, the JCB 535-125 telehandler offers 10% increased visibility over the previous model, providing operators with a three quarter view to the rear of the machine thanks to a reduced boom height and a 13% reduction in the overall boom section size.
 
Likewise, the JCB mini-excavator and backhoe ranges have also been designed to improve operator visibility. Operators have 360-degree visibility to the edge of the tracks in both canopy and cabin models of the mini excavators.
 
JCB’s 3CX Classic, 3CX Elite and 4CX Elite backhoes also lead the industry with in-seat servo control, a patented design that sees the controls travel with the operator as they turn. The improved design not only makes operations safer, but also enhances the comfort factor for the operator, eliminating the need for straining and twisting.
 
Safe and easy access to service and maintenance points is a further stand-out feature across the JCB range. The New Generation skid steers feature a tilting cab that allows easy access to the hydraulic pumps, valves and motors. A swing out rear door has been built into the design for easy access to the engine and daily check points, while the top opening hood gives clear access to the radiator.
 
The new JCB Teletruk is a powerful range of counterbalanced lift trucks offering both ROPS and FOPS protection. The TLT35D, available in both two-wheel drive open cab and four-wheel drive air conditioned cab, is ideally suited to meet mine site safety requirements.
 
Safety features on the Teletruk include forward facing positioning of the forklift that enables the operator to drive directly up to the lorry and load from one side only, preventing the conventional but unsafe practice of the forklift having to turn 90 degrees around blind corners at the front and rear of the delivery vehicle.
 
According to Peter, this feature also enables the work area to be sectioned off from walkways to prevent the risk of workers in the vicinity being injured during loading operations.
 
Peter adds that the wide range of safety features does not come at the expense of performance with JCB’s skid steers, backhoes, mini-excavators, telehandlers and lift trucks leading the industry when it comes to power and efficiency.