Abstract
In Japan, we have more than 600,000 drag-shovels and the death labour accidents relating with drag-shovels happened more than 70 per a year until 2006. So that we analysed the accidents relating with drag-shovels in details. As a result, there are 4 types of labour accidents: a drag-shovel falls down due to its unstable condition, a burden hanged hits a worker, slope or trench collapses due to excavation and weight of a drag-shovel, a drag-shovel drives backward or pivots and hits a worker. It is revealed that a drag-shovel becomes unstable condition due to dynamic operation such as driving forward or pivoting in a slope and that a drag-shovel and worker are working together within the maximum excavation radius of the drag-shovel. As the countermeasure for the safety, we recommend the use of a drag-shovel with ROPS (Roll-Over Protective Structure) and fastening a seat belt, to set the maximum stable grade considered with dynamic operation, the system alerting both an operator and worker to their approach.
