Grip heater apparatus for construction machine

A construction machine, comprising:

• a self-propelled lower track structure;
• an upper swing structure provided in an upper portion of the lower track structure in such a manner as to be swingable;
• a front work device provided in a front portion of the upper swing structure in such a manner as to be capable of being elevated;
• an engine mounted in the upper swing structure;
• a hydraulic pump driven by the engine;
• a plurality of hydraulic actuators driven by a hydraulic fluid supplied from the hydraulic pump, and driving the lower track structure, the front work device, and the upper swing structure;
• a plurality of directional control valves controlling flows of the hydraulic fluid supplied from the hydraulic pump to the plurality of hydraulic actuators;
• an operating room provided in the upper swing structure;
• left and right operation levers for operating the front work device;
• a gate lock lever provided at an entrance of the operating room, and provided such that the gate lock lever can be operated to a getting-on/off permission position at which operation on the plurality of directional control valves is disabled and a getting-on/off prevention position at which the operation on the plurality of directional control valves is enabled;
• and
• a grip heater apparatus controlling a temperature of a grip section of each of the left and right operation levers, wherein
• the grip heater apparatus comprises:
• left and right grip heaters provided in grip portions of the left and right operation levers, respectively;
• a battery supplying electric power to the left and right grip heaters;
• a heater switch for instructing the left and right grip heaters to be turned on or off;
• and a controller controlling the left and right grip heaters, and
• the controller is configured to control the battery to supply the electric power to the left and right grip heaters only when the engine is running, the gate lock lever is at the getting-on/off prevention position, and the heater switch instructs the left and right grip heaters to be turned on.