13. OSHA Requirements:
True or False?
The primary hazard of aerial lifts is
eye injuries.
The rated load capacity must be
displayed on the equipment.
Interlock devices are used to protect
operators from electrocution.
Lower controls must be able to override
upper controls.
26. Safe Work Practices:
Make the Safe Choice
Fall protection for lift
operators is:
Aerial lifts must be inspected:
Before moving a vehicle,
the boom should be:
Workers on the ground near
aerial lifts must wear:
a. Optional
b. Required
a. Weekly
b. Daily
a. Extended
b. Cradled
a. Hard hats
b. Gloves
Slide Show Notes
Today, we’re going to talk about aerial lift safety. You may know this type of equipment by commonly used names such as “cherry pickers” or “snorkel lifts.” Various types of equipment include aerial lifts, and they are often mounted on trucks. Aerial lifts are used in various industries such as utilities, construction, and tree service.
Because aerial lifts can be hazardous, they are regulated by OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If you work in aerial lifts or near them on the ground, you need to understand the hazards, the basic regulatory requirements, and the safety work practices that must be followed to prevent accidents and injuries.
Slide Show Notes
The main objective of this session is to review aerial lift safety requirements. By the time the session is over, you should be able to:
Identify aerial lift hazards;
Understand OSHA equipment requirements;
Know how to inspect equipment; and
Take necessary precautions when working in or near an aerial lift to prevent accidents and injuries.
Slide Show Notes
We’ll go into detail about hazards and precautions in upcoming slides during the session, but here’s a quick preview.
One of the primary hazards of working in aerial lifts is falling out of the lift. If you work in a lift, you must be sure fall protection devices such as personal fall arrest systems are used and guardrails are maintained in good working order.
Another serious hazard is tipping over the vehicle carrying the lift. Tipovers can occur if the lift is overloaded or if the vehicle is not properly stabilized before use. You need to know about load limits and how to maintain stability of the vehicle to prevent tipovers.
Overhead power lines are another very dangerous hazard for workers in aerial lifts. Contact with power lines could result in electrocution. Unless you are trained to work on high-voltage electrical equipment, always stay well clear of power lines.
And then there is the hazard of falling objects for those working on the ground near aerial lifts. Depending on the work being performed by the employee in the lift, tools, materials, tree branches, or other heavy objects could fall on workers on the ground and cause injuries—particularly head injuries, which is why workers on the ground should always wear head protection.
Slide Show Notes
Before using any type of aerial lift, it’s very important to become familiar with the equipment. Take the time to review the information on accident prevention signs that are required to be posted on the equipment.
Look for warnings, cautions, and restrictions. Following these instructions will help you operate the equipment safely.
Manufacturer’s information, such as the name, address, and phone number of the manufacturer and the equipment model, can help you obtain more information about safe operation, maintenance, or repair of the equipment.
Remember, you should also become familiar with the operating and maintenance manual before actually using any equipment with an aerial lift. Take the time to read the manual carefully and get to know the equipment completely. It’s time well spent.
Slide Show Notes
You should also know the rated workload of the equipment. This information will be posted right on the equipment itself. Knowing the rated workload will help prevent tipovers. Some aerial lifts, for example, are only designed to hold the weight of one or two workers. They may not have the additional capacity to take on a load of materials, tools, and so on when they are fully extended.
The maximum platform height will also be posted on the equipment. Equipment can have different maximum heights depending on whether outrigger devices or stabilizers are used. Always check for maximum height. Even if you’ve used other equipment, the equipment you’re using now could be different. Never exceed platform heights.
Aerial lifts may also be marked with a statement that indicates whether the work platform is electrically insulated and, if so, the level of protection the insulation provides. You should be careful to keep aerial lifts away from power lines anyway. But be extra careful if the platform is not insulated.
Always be sure to test-operate the aerial lift. Be sure you can operate it without jerky motions, which may cause accidents.
Finally, be sure the aerial lift has drainage holes so rainwater does not accumulate. Be sure the drainage holes are not blocked.
Think about the equipment you use. Are you familiar with all the safety issues covered in this and the previous slide?
Review specific safety information about the aerial lift equipment used by trainees.
Slide Show Notes
OSHA requires equipment with aerial lifts to be designed and constructed according to certain standards. The primary goal is to protect the worker in the lift by providing failsafe mechanisms that will prevent a free-fall descent of the work platform.
Electrical equipment must meet specific standards, especially if the elevation of the platform is accomplished by an electromechanical assembly.
Hydraulic and pneumatic components must meet “bursting safety factor” standards to prevent failure of hoses or other equipment.
Welds of all components must meet specific standards—especially welds on booms and work platforms.
Finally, cables that are used in the hoist system must also meet certain requirements and have a broken-cable safety device that prevents free fall.
Think about the design features on the equipment you use and how these features help protect you from accidents and injuries.
Identify specific design features on aerial lift equipment that help protect trainees from accidents and injuries.
Slide Show Notes
Load capacity is another important design issue. The rated workload capacity must be clearly displayed on the work platform. Most aerial lifts have a single capacity listed because the equipment is fairly simple.
However, some of the more complex aerial lift devices have multiple configurations—each requiring a different workload rating. Be sure to review the workload for the various configurations, and never exceed the load capacity indicated.
Equipment with outriggers or stabilizers will have a different rating depending on whether the outriggers are extended. Obviously, the workload will be higher if the stabilizers are extended.
Some equipment permits the use of different sizes of work platforms (e.g., large or small), so the workload must be listed for each type of work platform.
Some equipment might have different rated workloads that depend on the angle of the boom. If the boom is elevated straight up, the equipment can handle more weight. If the boom is at a low angle, the equipment is more likely to tip over, so the rated capacity is less. If this is the case, the equipment must have a boom angle indicator located where the operator in the lift can monitor the angle.
The rated workload may also depend on whether the boom is extended or retracted. When the boom is extended, the workload is reduced.
Slide Show Notes
Many aerial lifts are designed with interlock devices that help prevent an operator from accidentally exceeding the stability requirements of the equipment and tipping over.
A common interlock device is the driving interlock, which prevents the unit from moving or being driven unless the platform height or platform configuration is adjusted to meet stability requirements. In other words, the platform will need to be lowered before the equipment can be moved.
Outrigger interlocks prevent the lift from being raised above the height at which an outrigger, stabilizer, or extendable axle is required to maintain stability. Outrigger interlocks also prevent the stabilizer or outrigger from being retracted while the platform is above specified heights.
Tilt interlocks prevent aerial lifts from being raised when the base of the unit is not on level ground and exceeds a certain angle, such as 5 degrees.
Are you familiar with the interlock devices on the equipment you use?
Demonstrate how interlock devices on the equipment trainees use work to protect aerial lift operators.
Slide Show Notes
Maintenance of equipment is another critical safety issue. Equipment with aerial lifts must be inspected on a daily basis. Equipment must be maintained and repaired according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Any equipment found not to be in safe operating condition either during an inspection or during operation must be immediately removed from service until repairs are made. This includes leaking hydraulics, frayed or cut hydraulic lines, and frayed wires.
All repairs to equipment must be made by qualified maintenance personnel with the necessary training and experience to perform the work.
Are you familiar with maintenance requirements for the aerial lifts you use? Even if you are not responsible for maintenance and repairs on equipment, you should know about maintenance schedules and requirements.
Discuss your organization’s maintenance schedules and requirements for aerial lift equipment.
Slide Show Notes
OSHA requires that all aerial lifts have certain safety features. The lift must have skid-resistant stepping, standing, and working surfaces.
The access way for entering and exiting the aerial lift, including any rungs or steps, must have slip-resistant surfaces.
The sides or top guardrail of the lift must be between 38 and 45 inches high to prevent the worker from falling out.
The lift must be kept clear or debris, garbage, unneeded tools, grease, and any other items that could get in the way of the work as well as create slip or trip hazards.
And, aerial lifts must also have attachment points for a full-body harness and lanyard for each person who occupies the work platform.
Slide Show Notes
Aerial lifts with articulating or extendable booms must have controls both in or near the lift and lower down on the vehicle.
The upper controls must be inside or beside the lift so that they are within easy reach of the operator.
All controls must be plainly marked as to their function.
The lower controls on the vehicle must be designed to be able to override the lift controls in case of an emergency in which the worker in the lift is unable to operate the lift controls.
Except for emergencies, however, lower controls should only be operated with permission from the worker in the lift.
Slide Show Notes
In addition to falling, contact with power lines is one of the most dangerous hazards associated with working in aerial lifts. As we said earlier, specifications attached to your aerial lift will indicate whether it is insulated against electricity. If so, it will have insulated equipment that must be checked on a regular basis.
Make sure the insulated portions of lifts and booms are not altered in any way that could reduce insulating value.
In addition to the insulated portion of the equipment, other insulating devices should be checked, including insulating blankets, covers, line hose, gloves, sleeve, and so on.
Inspect these items for holes, tears, embedded objects, swelling, softening, hardening, stickiness, inelasticity, or any other unusual signs of potential damage.
Damage to insulating devices can be caused by sunlight, temperature extremes, contact with corrosive materials and solvents, and even humidity.
Do you always inspect insulating devices to make sure they are in good condition in case you accidentally get too close to power lines?
Identify insulating devices operators are required to have with them, and demonstrate the proper procedures for inspecting these items.
Slide Show Notes
It’s time to take a little true/false quiz to test your memory about some of the points we’ve just discussed. Your job is to decide whether each statement on the screen is true or false. Let’s begin.
The primary hazard of aerial lifts is eye injuries. True or false? The correct answer is false. The primary hazard is falls.
The rated load capacity must be displayed on the equipment. True or false? The correct answer is true. Never exceed the rated load capacity of an aerial lift.
Interlock devices are used to protect operators from electrocution. True or false? The correct answer is false. Interlock devices prevent tipovers.
Lower controls must be able to override upper controls in or near the lift. True or false? The correct answer is true. This is an emergency feature in case the operator in the lift is incapacitated and can’t operate the controls.
How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?
Slide Show Notes
Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information presented so far. Do you understand what we’ve said about:
Aerial lift hazards?
OSHA design and construction requirements?
Load capacities?
Maintenance requirements?
Protections against contact with power lines?
All of this safety information is important because it helps you understand the protections built in to aerial lift equipment and OSHA requirements for the equipment.
Answer any questions trainees have about the information presented in the previous slides.
Conduct an exercise, if appropriate.
Let’s continue now to the next slide and talk about training and authorization requirements.
Slide Show Notes
Only trained and authorized employees may operate equipment with aerial lifts. Authorized operators must read and understand the manufacturer’s manual for the specific equipment to be operated. Operators must pay particular attention to operating instructions and safety rules.
In addition to reviewing the operating manual, operator trainees should receive hands-on training from a qualified person who has experience using the specific equipment to be operated and can judge the trainee’s proficiency using the equipment.
Operators must be trained to inspect the equipment and work area before each use. They must know what to look for and what to do if they discover something that is not safe.
Operators must also demonstrate that they can proficiently and safely operate the equipment, including following all safe work practices and safety rules.
Think about the training and proficiency requirements for aerial lift operators. Remember, you may only operate this equipment if you are trained and authorized.
Discuss training requirements for aerial lift operators.
Slide Show Notes
Because the primary hazard associated with aerial lifts is falls, OSHA requires operators to wear fall protection. Make sure you are wearing a full-body harness before entering the lift.
Use a lanyard attached to the boom or lift when working from inside the lift.
Be sure to inspect both harness and lanyard before each use, and make sure you wear the harness and attach the lanyard properly.
Never belt off to an adjacent pole, structure, or equipment. You could move the lift and forget to untie, which would leave you hanging from the adjacent pole, structure, or equipment as you are pulled out of the lift.
Belts are no longer acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system in construction or in electric power generation, transmission, and distribution in general industry. However, belts can be used as a restraint device. The lanyard must be short enough to prevent a worker from climbing out of the lift. In this case, the belt is used to keep the worker inside the protection of the lift. Even so, a full-body harness provides the best fall protection and should be worn at all times.
Do you know our fall protection requirements for aerial lifts?
Discuss your fall protection requirements for aerial lifts.
Slide Show Notes
Aerial lift equipment must be inspected before each use. Look for such defects as:
Cracked welds;
Hydraulic leaks;
Damaged control cables;
Loose wire connections; and
Tire damage.
Also check electrically insulated items and make sure they are all there and in good condition.
And finally, perform a control check to make sure operating controls are all functioning correctly, and perform an operating test on the lift itself.
Any potentially unsafe items discovered through inspection must be carefully examined and a determination must be made by a qualified service person as to whether the problem constitutes a safety hazard. All unsafe items and conditions must be corrected before the aerial lift can be used.
Think about the inspection procedure you need to perform before using an aerial lift.
Review your safety inspection checklist for aerial lifts.
Slide Show Notes
After inspecting the equipment, you need to inspect the immediate work area for hazards that could result in an accident such as a fall, tipover, or electrocution.
Check for any recent earth fills that may not have been properly compacted. If a tire or stabilizer is placed on the soft earth, the equipment may tip over when the boom is lifted or extended.
Keep a safe distance from ditches, drop-offs, or holes to avoid accidentally driving into one, which could cause a tipover. If you use equipment too close to these areas, the side of a hole or ditch could give way under the weight of a tire or stabilizer.
Watch for bumps and other floor obstructions. Be careful not to drive over these obstructions because they can impact stability.
Look out for debris and other things such as grease or water that could result in loss of stability.
Finally, be especially careful of overhead obstructions and high-voltage conductors. Look for them and remember where they. If there are any overhead obstructions, consider having a spotter on the ground who watches as the operator moves the aerial lift, and be sure the spotter has an effective way to communicate with the lift where they are.
Slide Show Notes
Once inspections are conducted, you need to make sure the vehicle is properly set up.
First, set the brakes so that the vehicle will not move while the liftis elevated.
Place wheel chocks under the tires.
Position the outriggers or stabilizers on a solid surface.
Never move the truck when the boom is elevated with a worker in the lift. Although some equipment is designed to be moved while a worker is in the lift, never move the equipment unless the lift has been lowered and the boom has been retracted.
Think about the safety precautions you must take when setting up the vehicle before using the aerial lift.
Discuss safe setup procedures for aerial lift vehicles.
Slide Show Notes
Now here’s a quick review of safety practices we’ve already discussed. Before using an aerial lift, make sure you have:
Performed required inspection;
Put on a personal fall arrest system and attached the lanyard correctly;
Taken care not to overloaded the lift;
Staged the vehicle on a solid surface; and
Designate an employee to watch and warn you of hazards.
Slide Show Notes
When working in the lift, it is very important to always stand firmly on the floor of the lift. Don’t get on your tiptoes or lean over the railing. Keep the soles of your feet flat while you are in the lift.
Don’t sit or climb on the edge of the lift. Again, keep your feet firmly planted on the floor of the lift.
Never use a ladder in the lift to gain more height.
Also, never use a plank to bridge a gap between the lift and another structure or work surface.
And, of course, keep your fall arrest system lanyard attached to the lift or boom at all times.
Think about the precautions you need to take to prevent falls while working in an aerial lift.
Discuss precautions trainees must take to prevent falls when working in an aerial lift.
Slide Show Notes
After work is completed and before moving the vehicle, make sure the boom is properly cradled.
Ensure that the outriggers or stabilizers are returned and stowed in position.
Remove wheel chocks.
And ensure that the path of travel is firm, level, and free of obstructions—both on the ground and in the air.
Slide Show Notes
Of course, safety is also an issue when driving a vehicle equipped with an aerial lift. Always look in the direction of travel and keep a clear view of the path of travel.
Watch out for pedestrians.
Maintain a safe distance from any ground obstacles such as debris, holes, depressions, ramp edges, and other hazards.
Also maintain a safe distance from any overhead obstructions.
And limit travel speed according to conditions. That means considering ground surface, ground slope, other traffic in the area, location of personnel, and so on.
Do you always drive vehicles equipped with aerial lifts safely and follow the rules reviewed in this slide?
Review your organization’s driving safety rules for vehicles equipped with aerial lifts.
Slide Show Notes
Here are some safe work practices that all aerial lift operators and other employees working with them should observe. We’ve touched on some of these already, but a little review never hurts.
Check for overhead power lines and high-voltage conductors. Keep the lift and boom at least 10 feet away from power lines at all times, unless you are specifically working on the lines.
Report any defects or equipment malfunctions immediately, and do not use the equipment until necessary repairs have been made by qualified maintenance personnel.
Never alter or disable a safety device or interlock device. And be sure to check safety and interlock devices daily to ensure they are functioning properly.
Prevent ropes, electric cords, and hoses from entangling with the lift when the platform is elevated, lowered, or moved.
Before lowering the lift, make sure the area under the lift is clear of tools, debris, or personnel working on the ground.
And, of course, it should go without saying that you should never engage in any stunt driving or horseplay when working in or around aerial lifts. Such behavior is always unsafe and prohibited.
Slide Show Notes
Workers on the ground who work near equipment with aerial lifts are also exposed to a number of hazards and must take proper precautions. Ground workers also play an important role in helping to keep the employee in the aerial lift safe.
If you’re working on the ground, warn operators of aerial lifts when they are too close to power lines. Both the boom and lift must be kept a minimum of 10 feet from power lines.
Don’t touch the truck or base of the aerial lift if the lift is close to power lines. Remember, electricity wants to go toward the ground. If you touch the truck while standing on the ground, the current can go through you to the ground.
Watch out for falling objects such as tools and materials. Always wear a hard hat to protect your head when working on the ground near an aerial lift, and never stand directly under the lift.
Also watch out for the boom and lift when the lift is lowered to make sure it doesn’t come down on you. The operator will be looking out for personnel on the ground but might miss someone because of a blind spot.
Finally, make sure you know emergency response procedures in case the worker in the lift is injured or can’t operate the controls.
Slide Show Notes
Here’s a quick multiple choice quiz to test your knowledge of the safe work practices we’ve just reviewed. Read the statements on the screen and click on the answer—a or b—that best completes the statement. Go ahead now. [PAUSE]
Let’s review your answers.
Fall protection for lift operators is b, required.
Aerial lifts must be inspected b, daily before each use.
Before moving a vehicle equipped with an aerial lift, the boom should be b, cradled—otherwise the vehicle could tip over.
Workers on the ground near aerial lifts must wear a, hard hats to protect their head from falling objects.
How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?
Slide Show Notes
Let’s take a moment now to review. Do you understand:
Fall protection requirements?
Inspection procedures?
Vehicle setup rules?
Safe work practices for employees in the lift and on the ground?
Safe driving rules for vehicles equipped with aerial lifts?
This safety information can help prevent accidents and injuries when working in or near aerial lifts.
Answer any questions trainees have about the information presented in the previous slides.
Conduct an exercise, if appropriate.
Now let’s conclude the session with some key points to remember.
Slide Show Notes
Here are the main points to remember from this session on aerial lift safety:
Aerial lifts are useful but can also be hazardous.
Only operate an aerial lift if trained and authorized.
Inspect equipment and the work area before each use.
Understand and follow safe work practices, including wearing fall protection.
And be especially careful when working around power lines.
This concludes the aerial lift safety training session.
Give trainees the quiz, if appropriate.
