When inspecting the tires of a wheel loader, you notice that the lug nuts on the rear-right wheel are visibly loose, with rust streaks emanating from several of them. According to Canadian best practices for heavy equipment, what should be your immediate action?

Question: When inspecting the tires of a wheel loader, you notice that the lug nuts on the rear-right wheel are visibly loose, with rust streaks emanating from several of them. According to Canadian best practices for heavy equipment, what should be your immediate action?

Answer options:

• Tighten the loose lug nuts with the wheel wrench stored in the loader's toolbox and continue operations.
• Mark the loose lug nuts with chalk and re-check them after the first hour of operation. ✅ Immediately remove the wheel loader from service, notify your supervisor, and ensure the nuts are properly torqued before use.
• Proceed with caution, avoiding heavy loads, and schedule a maintenance check for the end of the shift.

Correct answer: Immediately remove the wheel loader from service, notify your supervisor, and ensure the nuts are properly torqued before use.

Explanation: Loose wheel lug nuts are a critical safety defect that can lead to wheel separation, posing extreme danger to the operator and others. Rust streaks indicate a pre-existing issue. Under Canadian OH&S regulations and best practices, any defect affecting the safe operation of mobile equipment, particularly a critical one like loose lug nuts, requires immediate removal from service and repair by qualified personnel, not a temporary self-fix.