What is BS EN 474-4 - Backhoe loader safety requirements about?
Earth-moving machinery and other heavy equipment assist in the speeding up of not only earthwork but also materials handling, demolition, and construction. BS EN 474 is a European standard that discusses the safety of earth-moving machinery. Compliance with this safety standard for earth-moving machinery can help prevent occupational hazards.  BS EN 4744 is the fourth part in the series that deals with all significant hazards, hazardous situations, and events relevant to wheel and crawler backhoe loaders as defined in EN ISO 6165:2006, when they are used as intended and under conditions of misuse which are reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer.
The requirements of this part are complementary to the common requirements formulated in EN 474-1:2006+A1:2009".
Note: This does not repeat the requirements from EN 474-1:2006+A1:2009, but adds or replaces the requirements for application for backhoe loaders.
Note: BS EN 474-4 is not applicable to machinery manufactured before the date of publication of this European Standard by CEN.
Who is BS EN 474-4 – Backhoe loader safety requirements for?  
BS EN 474-4 on backhoe loader safety requirements is useful for:  
- Machine manufacturers 
- Entities involved in commissioning, maintenance, and operation of earth-moving machinery 
- Regulators, accident prevention organizations 
- Site managers
- Machine operators and trainers 
- Supervisors 
- Construction and mining industry 
Why should you use BS EN 474-4 - Backhoe loader safety requirements?   
While backhoe loaders are most commonly used for excavating ditches, installing pipelines, planting underground cables, and laying the foundation for structures and drainage systems, they can accomplish much more with a few additional attachments.
BS EN 474-4 specifies the appropriate technical measures to eliminate or reduce risks arising from the significant hazards, hazardous situations, and events during the commissioning, operation, and maintenance of backhoe loaders.
BS EN 474-4 also discusses fork application, object handling application, and log handling from a safety perspective.
BS EN 474-4 covers all the significant hazards, hazardous situations, and events, identified by risk assessment as common to two or more machinery families, and which require action to eliminate or reduce the risk. Some of the hazards identified are: 
- Mechanical hazards 
- Thermal hazards 
- Electrical hazards 
- Hazard generated by noise, vibration, and radiation 
- Failure of the control circuit and power supply 
- Overturning of machinery 
By providing you with requirements for optimal performance of earth-moving machinery, BS EN 474-4 can help establish operational stability and reliability of earth-moving machinery, while successfully minimizing the incidence of occupational hazards arising from improper use or product failure.  
