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Vehicle-mounted aerial devices such as extensible boom platforms (i.e., bucket trucks), aerial ladders, articulating boom platforms, and vertical towers are utilized in a variety of industries to safely perform job tasks at heights greater than the reach of ladders. As a result, aerial lifts are commonly found on jobsites and parked along roadsides to aid workers in completing job tasks in the power line, construction, utility, telecommunication, and transportation industries. Although this type of equipment may be easy to operate and provides a safe means of access to heights, if proper work practices are not followed workers can become injured.
OSHA regulates aerial lifts, including bucket trucks, at 1926.453 for construction work, which is defined as work for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating. For general industry work, aerial lifts are regulated at 1910.67. Both standards reference specific American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Scaffold Industry Association regulations, which employers follow.
Since many workers are injured or killed on aerial lifts each year, it is important for employers and workers to recognize and avoid safety hazards they may encounter when they use aerial lifts.
OSHA has identified the following hazards, among others, that can lead to personal injury or death:
- Fall from elevated level,
- Objects falling from lifts,
- Tip-overs,
- Ejections from the lift platform,
- Structural failures (collapses),
- Electric shock (electrocutions),
- Entanglement hazards,
- Contact with objects, and
- Contact with ceilings and other overhead objects.
Scope
Covers employees using aerial lifts.
Regulatory citations
- 29 CFR 1926.453 — Aerial lifts
- 29 CFR 1910.67 — Vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating work platforms
Definitions
- Aerial lift: Any vehicle-mounted device, telescoping or articulating, or both, which is used to position personnel.
- Articulating boom platform: An aerial device with two or more hinged boom sections.
- Extensible boom platform: An aerial device (except ladders) with a telescopic or extensible boom. Telescopic derricks with personnel platform attachments shall be considered to be extensible boom platforms when used with a personnel platform.
Summary of requirements
In an effort to help employers, OSHA identified specific work practices that all users of aerial lifts must be aware of:
General
- Workers who operate aerial lifts must be properly trained in the safe use of the equipment.
- Make sure that controls are tested and the aerial life is inspected before use each day. All controls must be clearly marked as to their function.
- Maintain and operate aerial lifts according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Before performing any maintenance or repairs, aerial lifts must be de-energize and locked/tagged.
- Maintain a minimum clearance of at least 10 feet away from the nearest overhead line. In addition, any conductive object that can be contacted must be maintained at least 10 feet from overhead lines. Conductive objects could be wires, transformers, ducts, pipes, or other equipment.
- Always treat overhead lines as energized, even if they are down or appear to be insulated. Qualified power line and communications workers and qualified line-clearance tree trimmers are trained to work closer than 10 feet to a power line.
- Never lose awareness of the overhead hazard.
- Establish and clearly mark a danger zone around the aerial lift support vehicle.
- Never move the equipment with workers in the elevated platform unless the equipment has been specifically designed for this type of operation.
- Do not allow workers to position themselves between overhead hazards, such as joists and beams, and the rails of the basket. If the basket moves, the worker(s) could become trapped and crushed between the rails and the overhead object.
- Do not allow workers to belt off to an adjacent pole, structure, or equipment while working from an aerial lift.
- Provide and ensure the use of a body harness or positioning device with a lanyard attached to the boom or basket to prevent the worker from being ejected or pulled from the basket.
As for personal protective equipment, OSHA’s recommendations for general use, especially for response and recovery task/operations include:
- Hard hat for overhead impact or electrical hazards
- Eye protection with side shields
- Gloves chosen for job hazards (e.g., heavy duty leather work gloves for handling debris with sharp edges, and/or chemical protective gloves appropriate for chemicals potentially contacted)
- ANSI-approved protective footwear
Respiratory protection as necessary — N, R, or P95 filtering facepieces may be used for nuisance dusts (e.g., dried mud, dirt, and silt) and mold (except mold remediation). Filters with a charcoal layer may be used for odors.
User-specific information
Fall protection
- Ensure that access gates or openings are closed.
- Stand firmly on the floor of the bucket or lift platform.
- Do not climb on or lean over guardrails or handrails.
- Do not use planks, ladders, or other devices as a working position.
- Use a body harness or a restraining belt with a lanyard attached to the boom or bucket.
- Do not belt-off to adjacent structures or poles while in the bucket.
Operation/traveling/loading
- Do not exceed the load-capacity limits. Take the combined weight of the worker(s), tools and materials into account when calculating the load.
- Do not use the aerial lift as a crane.
- Do not carry objects larger than the platform.
- Do not drive with the lift platform raised (unless the manufacturer’s instructions allow this).
- Do not operate lower level controls unless permission is obtained from the worker(s) in the lift (except in emergencies).
- Do not exceed vertical or horizontal reach limits.
- Do not operate an aerial lift in high winds above those recommended by the manufacturer.
- Do not override hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical safety devices.
Overhead protection
- Be aware of overhead clearance and overhead objects, including ceilings.
- Do not position aerial lifts between overhead hazards if possible.
- Treat all overhead power lines and communication cables as energized, and stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) away.
- Ensure that the power utility or power line workers de-energize power lines in the vicinity of the work.
Stability in the work zone
- Set outriggers on pads or on a level, solid surface.
- Set brakes when outriggers are used.
- Use wheel chocks on sloped surfaces when it is safe to do so.
- Set up work zone warnings, such as cones and signs, when necessary to warn others.
Insulated aerial lifts offer protection from electric shock and electrocution by isolating you from electrical ground. However, an insulated aerial lift does not protect you if there is another path to ground (for instance, if you touch another wire).To maintain the effectiveness of the insulating device, do not drill holes in the bucket.
Training
Only trained and authorized persons are allowed to operate an aerial lift. OSHA says, training should include:
- Explanations of electrical, fall, and falling object hazards;
- Procedures for dealing with hazards;
- Recognizing and avoiding unsafe conditions in the work setting;
- Instructions for correct operation of the lift (including maximum intended load and load capacity);
- Demonstrations of the skills and knowledge needed to operate an aerial lift before operating it on the job;
- When and how to perform inspections; and
- Manufacturer’s requirements.
Workers should be retrained if any of the following conditions occur:
- An accident occurs during aerial lift use,
- Workplace hazards involving an aerial lift are discovered, or
- A different type of aerial lift is used.
Employers are also required to retrain workers who they observe operating an aerial lift improperly.