You can probably count on being pretty safe if you spend all day on the couch in your living room. But not too many people are content with staying home on the couch. Outside, life is risky. Hazards and booby traps are everywhere. And then when you get to work, there’s a whole new level of risk. Even the relative safety of an office environment has risks: paper cuts; neck aches; catching the flu from a co-worker…

 

But these risks, while annoying and sometimes serious, are pretty minor compared to falling 20 feet off a ladder.

 

A boom truck is a valuable time- and labor-saving piece of equipment, but must always be respected. Outriggers are an important stabilizer and leveling component of the bucket truck and must be inspected as part of a daily check.

If you’ve been in the sign business for very long, chances are you’ve been involved with installing signs high above the ground at some point in time—and if you haven’t, you or at least someone you work with probably will be before it’s over.

 

Anyone who’s had to drag a 20-foot ladder around or set up even one section of scaffolding can appreciate the value of a machine that can get you up there without all that trouble. Trying to get something done from the top of a ladder is neither fun, nor safe—and is downright frustrating when where you need to be is just inches beyond your precarious reach. The savings in labor and time gained from a piece of aerial equipment are unquestionable.

 

But although aerial equipment can lift you with ease, it also has the potential to turn deadly. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), aerial lifts—which include boom-supported aerial platforms such as bucket trucks and cherry pickers—the major causes of aerial lift equipment fatalities are falls, electrocutions, collapses and tip-overs.

 

TREES IN THE FOREST

Aside from staying home on the couch, the best way to be safe is to be alert, employ safe work habits, follow protocols, and of course to use equipment that’s built with safety in mind. 

 

Aerial lift equipment with a rated lift capacity under 2,000 pounds do not require a certified operator, but all other safety requirements in the new C-DAC rule must be met. (Image courtesy Wilkie Manufacturing)

Aerial equipment, with all of the associated risks, for the most part is reliable and relatively safe when it leaves a factory. But unlike any machine, the risks involved with aerial equipment demand an extra level of attention and operator training because ultimately, aerial equipment is only as safe as the person using it.

 

Darrel Wilkerson, Jr., Vice President of Oklahoma City-based Wilkie Manufacturing LLC, says his company is pro-active about safety, offering seminars and distributing information on a regular basis to be sure their customers are up to date with the equipment. 

 

“When they come to our location to pick up equipment, we spend as much time going over it as they need,” Wilkerson says. “Some are already so familiar with it that they ask if anything has changed and if not, they’re ready to go. Others want to know about every bolt and grease fitting.”

 

The time spent with the manufacturer is critical, especially to new owners, but Wilkerson points out that initial time is mostly related to inspection, maintenance and operating controls.

 

After a piece of equipment leaves the factory, the responsibility factor lies with the employer, whether the company is an individual who is self-employed or one with 500 employees.

 

Responsible employers mandate that operators perform a visual inspection of aerial equipment on a daily basis, using a standardized checklist to make sure they don’t overlook anything.

 

Employers are also responsible for periodic inspections, which must be performed by a qualified individual. Likewise, employers must ensure the person operating the crane has had proper training before they get up there and operate it and if the person is in training, someone who is qualified must be nearby watching.

 

An aerial lift gives workers access to signs that would be otherwise out of reach or much more costly and dangerous to install and maintain. (Courtesy YESCO)

The daily checklist is important to employers as well as operators, according to Wilkerson. He says his company also sends out an annual checklist to every owner they have on record, reminding them of inspections, safe operations, etc.

 

“They may have someone who they feel is entirely competent and qualified, but because they’re so familiar with the equipment, it becomes a situation of not seeing the forest for the trees. If they have a check list, it will help them focus on individual items and specific points to look at.”

 

THE NEW RULE BOOK

OSHA’s rules concerning aerial equipment safety have always been comprehensive. But on Nov. 8, 2010, a major revision took effect that impacts virtually the entire aerial equipment industry. Citing significant fatalities, along with new technology in use since the rule was first issued in 1971, OSHA says the revisions were necessary to protect employees, address advances in equipment design and to clarify the certification process of qualified operators.

 

The rule, entitled “29 CFR Part 1926” is also widely known as “C-DAC”, which is short for “Cranes and Derricks Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee,” the group responsible in large part for the specific language in the final document. It is published in the Federal Register and can be found on several online sites, as well as on the OSHA website (www.osha.gov). The 273-page document can be a bit intimidating though. Fortunately, there are many resources to help interpret which parts affect any given company’s operations and which measures are necessary in order to be in compliance. (See industry resources at right.)

 

The rule also reinforces OSHA’s placement of the burden of accountability for safety on employers, who among other duties must ensure that ground conditions can support the weight of equipment and their associated loads, assess hazards in the work zone, ensure that the equipment is in safe operating condition, and ensure that employees are trained in the use of the equipment.

 

Aerial lift equipment is available in a multitude of sizes and configurations to meet the needs of almost any sign installation. (Courtesy YESCO)

A whole glossary of terms is involved with certification according to OSHA, but significant are the terms “competent,” “qualified,” and “certified.”

 

OSHA defines “competent” and “qualified” as: “Competent person” means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

 

“Qualified” means one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.

 

The new C-DAC rule mandates that operators of cranes with lift capacity rated over 2,000 pounds are certified. Employers have until November 10, 2014, to comply with the crane operator certification provisions of the rule—if the equipment has a rated capacity of 2,000 pounds or more. But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Interestingly, OSHA’s C-DAC rule does not specifically define the term “certified.” But it does say that the certification process is to be administered by “qualified” or “competent” personnel and that it is up to employers to comply with recognized and accepted standards such as those put forth by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and other recognized standards organizations.

 

“The rule for 2014 is just the crane operator certification on cranes rated over 2,000 pounds,” Wilkerson points out. Operators don’t have to be certified for cranes rated under that. But all the rest of the new regulations are in force now, including new regulations that require a person doing the rigging as well as signalers to be certified. If those people are not qualified, the crane operator is the one who gets the fine and OSHA has also raised minimum fines for citations.”

 

The rule also includes new standards on safe distances from power lines. For example, the new regulations still prohibit operating lift equipment within 10 feet of an overhead power line. But there is now a whole new set of regulations that go into effect when operating equipment within a range of 20 feet to 10 feet from an overhead power line.

 

Other sections address the safe operation of older equipment, with expanded maintenance and inspection provisions, looking closely at particular points that need to be inspected. As Wilkerson points out, “Not everyone is using new equipment. There is a huge amount of equipment in use that’s 30 years old or older. Newer cranes are more similar to each other than the older cranes were, but there is a still a huge spectrum of different types of equipment in use today.”

 

As far as equipment components, Wilkerson says that occasionally a new safety device comes out, but the main emphasis in the crane industry and the safety community is on retraining operators and everyone else who works around the equipment on safety aspects and potential hazards.

 

“If you get close to a power line,” he says for example, “it’s not just the operator who has to worry about that, it’s also the guy on the tag line holding the sign. And the guy leaning against the truck bed is exposed as well. It’s a matter of re-education, re-emphasizing safety to everyone on the crew who is involved in the work going on at the site. You may not be part of the crane crew, but you’re still part of the safety equation.”

 

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN…FAST!

There are positive incentives associated with following OSHA guidelines when handling aerial equipment. Most importantly, the likelihood of somebody being injured is exponentially decreased. You’ll also be working efficiently, which means you have more money to spend on the finer things in life, without spending it on fines.

 

“The new regulations will change the industry forever,” says Wilkerson. “Some people will do everything they can to avoid it. Other people will look at it as a business opportunity and do everything necessary to get their operators certified. I tell them, if you’ve got certified operators, advertise that. Put it on the side of your truck. It says to your customers, ‘We’ve taken the extra step to protect you.’ There will always be those who look strictly at the bottom line; whoever has the cheapest bid is who they want. But the ones most people want as good customers, they will care.”

 

In the end, whether you support government mandated safety regulations or you despise them, if you’re operating aerial equipment—or if one of your employees is—it’s you who will be held accountable if something goes wrong. And things go wrong fast. Even the smallest, shortest bit of neglect can get you and/or someone else hurt or killed.

 

Never assume a thing. Especially don’t assume that someone else is going to make sure everything is safe before you start working. And never assume an accident won’t happen just because it hasn’t happened yet. 

 

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Safe Work Practices

 

• Ensure that workers who operate aerial lifts are properly trained in the safe use of the equipment. 

• Maintain and operate elevating work platforms in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 

• Never override hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical safety devices. 

• Never move the equipment with workers in an elevated platform unless this is permitted by the manufacturer. 

• Do not allow workers to position themselves between overhead hazards, such as joists and beams, and the rails of the basket. Movement of the lift could crush the worker(s). 

• Maintain a minimum clearance of at least 10 feet, or 3 meters, away from the nearest overhead lines. 

• Always treat power lines, wires and other conductors as energized, even if they are down or appear to be insulated. 

• Use a body harness or restraining belt with a lanyard attached to the boom or basket to prevent the worker(s) from being ejected or pulled from the basket. 

• Set the brakes, and use wheel chocks when on an incline. 

• Use outriggers, if provided. 

• Do not exceed the load limits of the equipment. Allow for the combined weight of the worker, tools, and materials.

(Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)—www.osha.gov)

 

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Resources:

Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)   www.osha.gov

 

National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO)   www.nccco.org

 

Crane Institute of America   www.craneinstitute.com 

 

International Union of Operating Engineers   www.iuoe.org 

 

National Center for Construction Education and Research   www.nccer.org

 

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)   www.ansi.org 

 

BUCKETTRUCKS.org   www.buckettrucks.org