Preventing Crush Injuries Toolbox Talk

Crush injuries happen when a worker gets caught between moving equipment, materials, vehicles, walls, trailers, lifts, or other fixed objects. These incidents can happen during backing, loading, rigging, lifting, lowering, staging materials, operating machines, or working in tight spaces with limited escape routes.

This talk focuses on recognizing crush zones, keeping workers out of the line of fire, using spotters and communication, and stopping work when equipment, loads, or materials are not controlled. The goal is to make sure no one stands where they can be pinned, trapped, or crushed.

Why This Matters

• Crush injuries can cause broken bones, internal injuries, amputations, suffocation, or death.
• Heavy equipment and loads can move suddenly, even when the movement looks slow or controlled.
• Workers on foot are at high risk when they enter blind spots, swing areas, pinch points, or backing paths.
• Materials can shift, roll, tip, or fall if they are not stacked, secured, or supported correctly.
• Clear communication and safe positioning are critical whenever machines, vehicles, or suspended loads are moving.

Common Hazards

• Standing between equipment and a wall, trailer, truck, dumpster, material stack, trench box, or other fixed object.
• Walking behind vehicles, forklifts, skid steers, telehandlers, lifts, or loaders while they are backing or turning.
• Working under raised buckets, forks, booms, platforms, blades, dump beds, or suspended loads.
• Hands or feet placed near pinch points, rollers, hinges, couplers, clamps, doors, tracks, outriggers, or stabilizers.
• Loads shifting during lifting, unloading, hoisting, rigging, stacking, or transport.
• Poor visibility caused by blind corners, dust, darkness, weather, mirrors, equipment size, or stacked materials.
• Working in tight access areas where a worker cannot step away if equipment swings, slides, settles, or rolls.

Safety Checklist

Before Work Begins

• Identify crush zones, pinch points, backing routes, swing areas, lift zones, and no-go areas.
• Check that operators and spotters understand the traffic plan, hand signals, radio channels, and stop commands.
• Inspect brakes, alarms, lights, mirrors, cameras, horns, tires, tracks, forks, chains, hooks, slings, and attachments.
• Set up barricades, cones, warning tape, signs, or exclusion zones around moving equipment and suspended loads.
• Make sure materials are stacked, blocked, chocked, or secured so they cannot roll, tip, slide, or collapse.
• Confirm workers have a clear path to move away before equipment, loads, or materials start moving.

During Work

• Stay out from between moving equipment and fixed objects.
• Never stand under raised equipment, suspended loads, or materials being lifted or lowered.
• Keep eye contact with operators and spotters before entering any equipment work area.
• Use a spotter when backing, turning, lifting, unloading, working near pedestrians, or moving in tight areas.
• Keep hands and feet away from pinch points when connecting attachments, landing loads, setting forms, or aligning materials.
• Do not cross under booms, forks, buckets, dump beds, platforms, or loads unless they are lowered, secured, and de-energized.
• Stop and reset the work area if workers, traffic, weather, ground conditions, or visibility make the movement unsafe.

Crew Talking Points

• Where are the crush zones on this job today?
• What equipment will be backing, turning, swinging, lifting, or unloading near workers?
• Who is spotting, and what signals or radio calls will be used?
• What materials could roll, tip, slide, fall, or shift during handling?
• Where should workers stand clear during lifts, loading, unloading, and equipment movement?
• Does anyone have a question or concern about a crush hazard before work starts?

Stop Work If

• A worker is between equipment and a fixed object with no clear escape path.
• The operator loses sight of the spotter or does not understand the signal.
• Workers enter the exclusion zone, swing radius, backing path, or area under a suspended load.
• A load is unstable, shifting, poorly rigged, overloaded, or not secured.
• Equipment brakes, alarms, lights, mirrors, cameras, horns, forks, chains, hooks, or controls are not working properly.
• Ground conditions, slopes, mud, ice, congestion, or poor visibility could cause equipment or materials to move unexpectedly.

Final Reminder

Crush injuries happen when people stand in the wrong place at the wrong time. Stay out of pinch points, keep clear of moving equipment, and stop work when loads or machines are not controlled.