Colorado's Laws Regarding Back-up Sound on Heavy Equipment

Back-up alarms are an important safety device on commercial and construction vehicles--trucks and forklifts in particular. Colorado employs federal guidelines to ensure that the proper measures are applied to back-up alarm use.

State Codes

• Although the federal government provides most of the essential guidelines for workplace safety and alarm use, many states have added their own specifications to these rules and adjusted them as they've seen fit. As of 2010, Colorado has yet to offer a self-approved code.

Federal Law

• Due to the fact that Colorado has not individually legislated this issue, the state defers completely to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations. The rules can be found in OSHA Standard 1926, subsection 601 B4 and 601B4i. This is the only federal regulation of any agency that deals with back-up alarms.

Specifics

• According to OSHA standards, the "reverse signal" or alarm must be capable of being heard over all "background noise." Thus if your Colorado work site produces a high level of noise, your alarms should be capable of transcending it. Otherwise, you need to have an "observer" present at all times when a vehicle is being backed up, to direct and advise the driver.