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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:
Covers employees operating aerial lifts.
Before operating an aerial lift:
Pre-start inspection. Prior to each work shift, conduct a pre-start inspection to verify that the equipment and all its components are in safe operating condition.
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and include a check of:
Vehicle components
Lift components
Do not operate any aerial lift if any of these components are defective until it is repaired by a qualified person. Remove defective aerial lifts from service (tag out) until repairs are made.
Work zone inspections. Employers must assure that work zones are inspected for hazards and take corrective actions to eliminate such hazards before and during operation of an aerial lift. Items to look for include: