A team effort: aerial lift safety requires diligence on the part of everyone involved
Published in: Arbor Age
Date: 8/1/2007
By: LaMar, LeRoy
WHEN TREE CARE PROFESSIONALS THINK OF THE dangers associated with working at heights, they often fear falls. However, falls only account for roughly 20 percent of aerial lift accidents.
The team charged with safe operation of an aerial lift unit must also be concerned about power line exposure, equipment tip-over, being struck or crushed by the equipment holding the platform, and equipment failure due to insufficient maintenance.
Electrocution prevention
It’s not only workers in the platform and behind the wheel who must worry about electrocution. Because the ground around the machine can become energized upon the machine’s contact with an exposed electrical source, crew around the machine can be in danger as well.
Keep the work platform and the machine operating the platform as far away from overhead power lines as possible and never go near a machine that has come into contact with power lines.
Maintain a distance of at least 10 feet from all sources 50kV and lower. For power sources up to 350kV, increase that distance to 50 feet.
Tip-over prevention
Ensuring you and your equipment are on stable ground is the number one way to prevent tip-over accidents. Do not raise the boom unless the machine is level and all outriggers or extendable axles have been engaged, if the machine is so equipped.
It’s important to also consider wind speeds. The operator’s manual will guide you as to how much wind is too much to operate the aerial lift.
A third way to prevent tip-overs is to make sure your load meets the weight capacity of the machine, and that you are not attaching suspended loads to the platform (i.e., using the machine as a crane).
Be sure to know the machine’s capacity and never exceed the weight restrictions designated for the bucket. It’s also important to distribute the load evenly across the length of the platform.
Collision prevention
It’s easy to forget what is happening outside the platform when you’re working on a project. Workers in the basket need to be aware of potential crushing hazards when grasping the platform guard rail or when their hands are outside of the platform area.
Those in the platform should also be sure to check for overhead obstructions and to always look in the direction the platform is moving, especially if he or she is not the one in control of that movement.
Whenever possible, renters should look to use equipment with automatic lockout systems.
Maintenance
Aerial lift equipment owners should inspect their equipment on an annual, quarterly and daily basis. When renting equipment, be sure to ask about the rental yard’s maintenance program. If they are not performing the daily check for you, make sure your crew is taking a look at the machine each morning before operation (see sidebar).
Driving the equipment
Most of the risk involved with aerial lift operation is taken on by the platform worker. However, the equipment operator behind the wheel of the unit housing the platform can do a great deal to keep his or her co-worker safe.
It’s up to the driver of the unit to ensure that the path of travel is firm and level, and to maintain safe distance from overhead and ground-level obstacles, debris, drop-offs, holes, depressions ramps and other hazards.
Drivers of aerial lift equipment should only travel with the boom in a stowed position and the platform behind the drive wheels. The operator should maintain a safe speed and, of course, never participate in stunt driving or horseplay.
Training
Equipment owners and renters who have workers in elevated situations need to take care to provide a safe work environment to prevent accidents. Measures as simple as providing hard hats, pedestrian and traffic barricades, signs and signally equipment, and safety harnesses can have a tremendous impact on the risk assumed by workers.
Beyond these simple provisions, developing an accident prevention program, including formal training for all workers, is the best way to ensure aerial lift safety.
Luckily, there are many options available in today’s training market. Everything from online training courses to multi-day training courses exist to help employers protect their crews.
Maintaining safety while working with aerial lifts requires the diligence of an entire team. Although the worker being elevated must protect himself, he is also relying on the conscientious planning and behavior of the job site foreman, the driver of the unit and the crew around him.
LeRoy LaMar is a trainer for Arxcis, Inc. He can be reached via e-mail at leroy@arxcis.com. Arxcis designs customizable training kits on CD for equipment owners, professional trainers and safety equipment distributors. For more information, visit www.hardhattraining.com.
RELATED ARTICLE: DAILY INSPECTION
Equipment renters should ensure either they or their rental partners are inspecting each of the following components daily before operation of an aerial lift unit.
* Decals legible and in place
* Engine fluids at correct levels
* Electrical components and wiring
* Hydraulic hoses, fittings, cylinders
* Fuel and hydraulic tanks
* Drive and turntable motors and drives
* Boom extension cables and wear pads
* Boom damage and dents
* Tires and wheels
* Engine and related components
* Limit switches, alarms, horns, beacons
* Nuts, bolts, and other fasteners
* Platform rail and entry gate
* Cracks in welds and structural components
* Compartment covers in place and latched
* Platform and ground control operations
* Auxiliary power function