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40 Aerial Safety Tips

March 1, 2016
Experts from the AWP rental industry offer tips they’ve found important over the years.

While a complete primer on aerial safety would likely fill a book, RER asked aerial rental specialists to share some of the tips they consider important based on years of experiences. 

Aerial work platforms can take people 185 feet in the air or higher but a lot of accidents take place on the ground, even getting in and out of an aerial work platform. People fall from height but they also fall out of baskets moving around a rental yard. Aerial safety must be practiced on the ground as much as in the air, before the machine is delivered and in transit as much as on a jobsite. Accident prevention involves attention to dozens of details, on the ground and in the air.

This article is not everything you could possibly need to know. But here are 40 tips to keep in mind.

1) Weld on expanded metal. Anyone who has ever slipped and fallen while loading or unloading equipment in the rain knows how treacherous a slippery trailer or truck deck can be. “Every trailer or truck I own has ‘expanded metal’ welded in strategic places for better footing,” says John Wetherholt, owner of Fagan High Reach and Equipment in Newark, Calif. 

“Most accidents I have seen do not come from working on a platform, but rather, loading, unloading, moving, driving and stowing,” adds Tom Kaczmarek, fleet and service field manager for Skyworks LLC. 

2) Always wear a harness. Anyone working on an aerial work platform must always wear a safety harness and not just for elevated work. Wearing safety gear on the ground is equally as important. Operators often hit obstructions while driving – such as a pothole or a large stone – and even on the ground they can bounce out of the basket and be seriously injured. Also make sure that the right lanyard is used for the right equipment and is attached to the basket platform lanyard contact, to prevent the worker(s) from being ejected or pulled from the basket. 

Photo provided by JLG Industries.

Many accidents occur not at height but simply while entering and exiting aerial work platforms. “We have noticed many accidents caused by slipping and falling. We’ve seen people twist ankles, knees or backs just getting in and out of booms and scissors,” says Kaczmarek. “That’s why workers should always maintain three points of contact.”

4) Beware of debris and check your tires. A blown tire can result in an eight-inch drop on one corner of a machine, Kaczmarek says. The higher you are, the more severe the catapult effect. Be aware of ground conditions and jobsite debris. Foam-filled and solid tires are recommended by many.

5) Check “slow drive function” at a low height. You can check the automatic “slow drive” function from six to 10 feet in the air. Don’t check it at full height such as 30 to 185 feet up. 

6) Taking off is optional. That’s what pilots say, says Michael Crouch, president of Acme Lift. You don’t have to fly if the equipment isn’t right. It’s the same with aerial work platforms. If there is any doubt about anything, don’t go up.

7) Never modify a lift to complete a task. The manufacturer engineered the machine with a certain technological balance. Attempting to alter that balance could cause unexpected and unintended consequences. 

“Attachments and accessories may have an adverse effect on capacity and ultimately stability,” says Lee Braden, manager of safety training, United Rentals. “For example, adding a glazier accessory kit may reduce the available platform capacity. As an operator, you must be sure that attachments you intend to use are approved for use on the aerial lift by the manufacturer and are used within their safe operating range for the purpose for which they were designed. Do-it-yourself modifications or attachments are never permitted.”

8) Don’t sit, stand or climb on the guard rails. The experienced professional customer would likely know better, but less experienced users might be tempted to attempt such shortcuts.

9) Don’t overload the platform. Do not exceed the load limits of the equipment. Allow for the combined weight of the worker, tools and materials. 

10) Distribute the weight evenly. Ensure all materials brought into the platform are distributed evenly, secured and do not exceed the manufacturer’s capacity rating.

11) Don’t attach overhanging items to the platform, especially while raising or lowering the platform. Objects can fall off and injure a person below.

12) Don’t ever tie off to an adjacent structure. It can cause damage to the platform, the structure or the workers in the platform.

13) Check out a machine carefully after servicing. “I once completed a boom job on a unit and went to raise it and test from the ground controls,” says an Acme Lift service technician. “You will never forget the sound of a hammer sliding down the boom coming straight at you. Walk-around inspections after repairs are critical.” 

14) Check that a load is properly secured before transport. A walk-around inspection before departure is the time to ensure that swing locks are engaged, and baskets and load chains are secured. 

15) Identify jobsite hazards. Rental company personnel should make efforts to work with contractors on the jobsite to help identify hazards. “Have we identified the powerlines?” says Crouch. “Potholes? Soft ground? Service calls before or after daylight [make it] challenging to visually identify these hazards.” 

United Rentals’ Braden says it’s essential to safety to check for:

  • Drop-offs or holes, grades, excavations or trenches, as well as hole coverings in concrete slab surfaces of multi-level structures.
  • Bumps, obstructions, debris or anything that could cause the base to go off level or restrict travel.
  • Overhead obstructions such as pipes, beams, lights, and structures, or other equipment.
  • Overhead power lines. If possible, avoid power lines; if not, observe the proper MAD (minimum approach distance) for your jurisdiction. Remember, all power lines should be considered energized.
  • Hazardous locations including poisonous, noxious, toxic, and explosive atmospheres.
  • The ability of the ground or floor to support a fully loaded unit in any configuration.
  • Pedestrian and vehicular traffic to be sure that unauthorized people and/or vehicle traffic do not interfere with operations.
  • Wind and weather conditions like high winds, rain, snow, lightning, and extreme cold or hot temperatures 

16) Look out above! Tim Heer, branch manager at A Tool Shed, also emphasizes the danger of access hazards. “Most people only concern themselves with making sure the jobsite location is flat and clear of debris, without making sure the access is safe,” he points out. “This includes enough clear space to turn the machine, enough width so the machine doesn’t hang up, and also that thresholds are smooth enough for the unit to roll into place.” 

17) Workplace inspection is an all-day job. Conditions on a jobsite can change in the course of a day when various contractors and subs are on the job. “For example: You drive a lift inside a tilt-up building to do a few hours of work,” says Jake Kidd, operations trainer for Sunstate Equipment. “When you go to drive the lift back outside the utility contractor has dug his service trench across the opening of the building. Workplace inspection must be ongoing throughout your work shift.” 

Nobody who hasn’t been properly trained should ever operate an aerial work platform. Photo by Skyjack.

18) Clear the area under the boom when stowed. Some operators leave booms elevated for the evening. “We have seen several of these ‘stowed in air’ units leak down overnight and contact whatever is underneath them because of internal bypass or flow cartridge failure,” says Skyworks’ Kaczmarek. “We have found booms resting on cars, buildings electrical/data wires and job trailers. The operator should always prepare for this occurrence and stow the unit as though it may come back to the ground.” 

19) Pushing around the pusharounds. “When using ‘pusharound’ units keep in mind the weight of the machine,” says A Tool Shed’s Heer. “Do you have enough bodies to safely move the unit? Is there a ramp the machine needs to negotiate? These units are heavy and can easily roll out of control, even over somebody, or through a door at the bottom of a ramp.” 

“They can become very dangerous if they aren’t handled properly,” adds Fagan’s Wetherholt. “Many of these units sit upright on small swivel castors and small wheels and weigh over 1,000 pounds and can easily tip over while moving, injuring someone. Special care must be taken when securing them or they will tip over during transport. I recommend that during transport, moving or set up of ‘pusharounds,’ the job is done by two people.  If the AWP is equipped with a cradle that allows it to be moved while securely resting in a tipped position, I recommend that two people together do the tipping and securing of the unit and two people -- one pushing and one guiding -- move the unit into position.”

20) Read the operator’s manual. Yes, it’s a regulation that you do so, but also aerial work platform functions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and also from model to model. Without knowing the safety functions and operating functions you could find yourself in trouble very quickly. The equipment owner or rental company is responsible for making sure that the equipment is equipped with the operators manual, AEM manual, ANSI manual and a current copy of the last annual inspection. 

21) And while you’re at it, read the weather report: Refer to the Operator’s Manual to determine whether a machine is for indoor or outdoor use, says Star Rentals CEO Bob Kendall. “When working outdoors, special attention must be paid to current and changing weather conditions. Wind can result in tip-over, lightning storms can lead to electrocution, and humid weather can increase the arc distance of electricity from powerlines to the aerial work platform.”

22) Always have a trained and qualified operator. Before operating aerial equipment, the operator needs to fully understand all capabilities of the equipment and know its limitations.

23) Use the right equipment for the right job. Never put an aerial lift in a position that it is not designed for. One of the leading causes of unsafe practices is using a machine for an application for which it was not designed. “Too often operators take shortcuts to get that last foot or two of elevation,” says Kendall.  “Operators will stand on the guardrails, on buckets, or put ladders in the basket, so that they can eke out that extra height. This is wrong and can result in injury or death. Get the right machine that can reach to the area you need to work at. Your health or life is not worth sacrificing for the job.”

Rental companies should help operators consider whether they’ll work indoors or outdoors, the type of terrain or surface they’ll operate on, weather conditions, load requirements, jobsite obstacles, working height and reach required and if they’ll need to reach up and over something.

24) Operators must completely understand the task. Often accidents occur because operators don’t clearly understand their objectives. “The very first step in preparing the aerial lift for operation is to receive authorization and detailed instructions from the supervisor, and then clarify them if necessary,” says United Rentals’ Braden. “Ask questions until you’re confident that you know what is expected of you. Asking for more details doesn’t seem so bad compared to causing an incident or being injured.”

25) Operators must perform a pre-trip inspection after every shift or when switching operators. Boom control system daily tests are critical with the new heights being achieved. The time to test these systems is before liftoff. 

26) Perform a pre-start inspection and log it on an inspection sheet. Pre-operation inspection is critical for a variety of reasons, no matter the height of the machine. Whether logging the results is required or not, “if something were to happen involving the aerial work platform you are operating, you are going to need to have proof of completion of inspections for legal reasons,” says Kendall.

27) Make sure safety decals are readable. Mike Sheridan, safety director at Aerial Access Equipment, points out that often safety decals are not in the right places, or are scratched, peeling off, sprayed or painted over. Check them out!

28) Maintain and operate elevating work platforms according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Equipment hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical safety devices must be working properly and never bypassed or overridden. 

29) 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).

30) Don’t fight the power. Acme Lift points out that operators should always treat power lines, wires and other conductors as energized, even if they are down or appear to be insulated. Maintain a minimum clearance of at least 10 feet, or three meters, away from the nearest energized overhead lines. 

31) Know how to plug in the machine. “An often overlooked detail is the location of the charger outlet,” A Tool Shed’s Heer points out. “It is usually next to the ‘power to platform’ outlet. I have had customers complain that their lift isn’t holding a charge, even though it has been plugged in all night, because they had it plugged into the wrong outlet.”

32) Take care of batteries. They are the life blood of electric-powered units. Make sure they are kept clean and charged nightly.

33) Bringing down the lift. Machines of the same size have similar operating dynamics, and are likely to be similar in size, weight, and dimensions, says Sunstate Equipment’s Kidd. “But to have to lower one down from height in an emergency situation, they can be very different, and one needs to know how prior to an emergency,” he says. “In addition to the operator, it is extremely important to have occupants in the platform and personnel on the ground (such as supervisors and foremen) trained, at a bare minimum, on how to lower the AWP in case of injury or a medical issue that renders the AWP operator incapacitated.” 

34) Make sure the machine safety mechanisms function. For example, pothole protection on smaller electric scissorlifts. If the mechanism is blocked and unable to fully deploy, the lift will stop elevating and usually sound an alarm. Check to make sure the lift stops raising and the alarm sounds and will not drive in those situations to avoid a tip-over.

35) Understand the slope warning system. Slope warning systems, also referred to as tilt alarms, are a mandatory safety device on all types of aerial lifts. Their purpose is to warn users when the tilt sensor senses that the base of the unit is off level by five degrees or more – or an angle specified by the manufacturer. If the slope warning alarm sounds stop all movements, retract or lower and reposition the unit to level ground. 

36) Check the “out of level” sensor, or “limited drive speeds” on AWPs. What if the operator finds out this function is not operating properly after he is up in the air 80 feet and the machine moves at its high speed?

37) Ensure the customer has inspected the equipment. When rental customers have an AWP on rent, they assume the “Responsibility of the User” spelled out in the Manual of Responsibility. Therefore they are responsible to perform the daily inspection, which is essentially the “pre-start inspection” and the “function test” spelled out in the Operator’s Manual for the specific AWP being operated. They also are to ensure that the 90-day inspection and the annual inspection are up to date and if not, contact the owner right away to perform the inspection. In the eyes of OSHA, if these inspections are not current, the AWP is “non-compliant” and can be placed out of service by an OSHA inspector.

Safety harnesses must be properly attached to the aerial work platform. Photo provided by Snorkel.

A daily inspection of each harness and lanyard is to be conducted. If a device has any cuts or tears it is to be destroyed and replaced. Also if a lanyard with an arrest mechanism (shock absorber or bungee) has been utilized or deployed, the lanyard must be destroyed and replaced. According to most body harness manufacturers, under normal wear a harness and lanyard has a life expectancy of about five years.

39) Check for broken rotator bolts. “Give the platform a good pull from side to side to make sure the rotator bolts are not broken,” Sheridan adds. “I have seen where all attaching bolts look normal and in place but every one of them had been sheared. This could allow the platform to swing around without command. I have seen this a number of times.”

40) Fire the customer. Just because a customer wants an AWP, sometimes it’s better to say no. “Recently one of our drivers was delivering a 60-foot boom to a worksite,” says NES Rentals CEO Andy Studdert. “Upon arrival he noticed that the intended work area was not level and there was no safe operating position for the boom given the grade of the worksite. Our driver informed the customer that he would not be delivering the boom because he felt it was unsafe to operate. The customer insisted and was willing to take full responsibility but our driver continued to refuse the delivery. The customer called our branch manager who agreed with the driver. The customer went further and called our district manager. The district manager supported the decisions of both the driver and branch manager. The order was cancelled. These decisions were key to maintaining our culture of intervention. Sometimes in order to maintain a safe work environment you have to fire the customer.”

RER thanks the following companies for contributing tips to this article: Acme Lift, Aerial Access Equipment, Ahern Rentals/Snorkel, A Tool Shed, Cloverdale Equipment Co., Fagan High Reach, NES Rentals, Skyworks, Star Rentals, Sunstate Equipment and United Rentals.