Bucket Truck Safety

Bucket Trucks are complex and require specialized training to operate in order to ensure operators and their support workers are safe. It is vitally important that workers know the risks they face when working on or around bucket trucks.

Few pieces of equipment can create more dangers to those working with and around them than bucket trucks. If your municipality owns one, or you rent one on occasion, you know users guides and manuals are readily available on the internet if one wasn’t provided. A quick internet search returns no affordable credible “canned” training programs available for bucket truck operators and support staff, however.

OSHA provides a basic outline for bucket truck safety, but it is short on specifics. Each work environment has its own issues regarding safe work practices and fall protection. It is mainly up to the municipal administration and supervisors to ensure workers are properly trained and able to demonstrate safety competence while working with or on bucket trucks.

Typical injuries when working from bucket trucks are strains, sprains, broken bones, lacerations, electrocutions, burns, and deaths from falls or being struck by objects. Damage and injuries occur when inspections are not performed according to manufacturer’s recommendations or when trucks are not properly positioned or secured for use. If operators don’t take the time to be fully aware of objects and hazards in, around, under, or above the bucket, accidents can happen. Unsecured tools and equipment can cause hazards, as can exceeding manufacturer’s recommended limitations.

Driving a bucket truck and positioning it at a worksite requires special skills and knowledge. It is not a job for a relatively new employee. Bucket trucks are heavy and cumbersome. They don’t stop on a dime or maneuver like a normal vehicle. A 3-ton lift places the center of gravity of the truck very high; observe tip-over signs on curves and exit ramps. Don’t get in a hurry; take it slow and easy. Bucket trucks get stuck easily off-road, especially in wet or slippery conditions. They have poor rear visibility, and should not be backed up unless necessary, and then only with the support of a spotter. Also, a backing alarm should be installed to inform others when backing up. Placing the truck in the ideal location takes knowledge of boom length, manufacturer’s limits, and surface conditions.

A practical bucket truck safety training should:

• Place emphasis on factors that may seem trivial, but are not

• Provide specific examples of dangers unique to the equipment

• Supply handouts, checklists, and references to use on the job

Fall protection:

While it is rare for an employee to fall out of a bucket, it is more common for one to be knocked out when another vehicle hits an aerial lift truck. OSHA regulations are not clear when it comes to bucket trucks. The rule of thumb is, once you get 6 feet off the ground you must be wearing personal fall protection. The question becomes, do you put someone in a body belt or a full body harness? If the person cannot fall more than 2 feet, a belt is acceptable. If they could fall more than 2 feet, use a full body harness and lanyard. That should be your requirement. Never belt off to an adjacent pole, structure, or other equipment, except in an emergency.

Pre-Use Safety Check:

• Keep maintenance records of equipment up to date

• Check tire pressure, wheels and tires

• Fuel, engine oil, and hydraulic fluid levels

• Look and listen for fluid and air leaks

• Look for loose or missing parts, rust, and deteriorating welds

• Test ground level controls first, then all bucket controls before going up

• Safety devices such as railings, bucket door catches, and redundant catches are in proper working order

• Personal protective equipment is available, in good condition, and used

• Special items specified by the manufacturer are adhered to

Check the Work Area:

• Never work on a slope that exceeds the limits specified by the manufacturer

• Check the area for soft spots, holes, drop-offs, bumps, and debris

• Check for overhead power lines, trees, building overhangs, etc.

• Before moving the truck be sure the boom is cradled and tied down, and that all other equipment is secured

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Hard hats for workers

• Safety glasses and face shields for workers

• Gloves appropriate for the job

• Personal fall arrest systems (harnesses, lanyards, etc.)

Operating a Bucket Truck:

• Set brakes, outriggers, and use wheel chokes, even if working on a level area

• If working in or near traffic, set up appropriate work zones with signs, channelizing devices, barricades and barrels

• Close and latch the bucket or platform door and attach safety chain

• Stand on the floor of the bucket or lift platform. Never climb on anything inside the bucket to extend your reach

• Do not climb on tool brackets in the bucket or lean over the railing

• Never exceed the manufacturer’s load limit capacity. This includes combined weight of workers, tools, and materials

• Establish and clearly mark a danger zone around the bucket truck

• Never move the truck with workers in an elevated platform

• Use particular care when positioning the basket between overhead hazards - the bucket moves it could pin or crush a worker

Emergency Escape:

• Know how to escape from a bucket if the lift fails when working alone. Know the different methods to use when stranded.

• Have auxiliary power or back up pump

• Have an emergency lowering valve or holding valve bleed

• Have an escape ladder or controlled descent rope

Supervisors must take the time to train and educate workers in the safe use of the bucket truck. It’s a good idea to go over policies and procedures annually.

OSHA Water Tower Safety Requirements

In October of 2016 the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration established new requirements for fall protection on fixed ladders. These requirements went into effect on November 19, 2018. Here are the revisions relating to all ladders including those installed on bolted and welded-steel ground storage tanks (like water towers). All new ladders installed after November 19, 2018 must include a ladder safety or personal fall arrest system. Existing ladders installed before November 19, 2018 must be equipped with one of the following items: ladder cage, ladder safety system, or personal fall arrest system. All new ladders installed before November 19, 2018 will not be able to use a ladder cage as the exclusive fall protection method. Ladder cages will still be able to be used provided they are combined with a primary fall protection method such as a ladder safety or fall arrest system and the cage does not interfere with the primary system. After November 19, 2036 all existing ladders not in compliance with the requirements for new ladders will need to be retrofitted to have either a ladder safety or personal fall arrest system.

A ladder safety system is designed to eliminate the possibility of workers falling from the ladder. Similarly, a fall arrest system stops the fall before the worker impacts the surface below.

2036, seems like a long way away, but it will be here before we know it. Start making plans to get your fixed ladder systems in compliance with these relatively new regulations.

Staying Safe on Ladders and Scaffolds

Hundreds of workers are injured or killed every year from accidents on ladders and scaffolds. The good news is most ladder and scaffold accidents are preventable. Most of these accidents are either caused by risky behavior like over-reaching or from faulty setups of the ladder/scaffolding. These mistakes can be corrected.

You have the power to prevent ladder and scaffolding falls. Begin by implementing these 5 steps:

• Inspect equipment before use

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions and follow safety rules

• Use common sense

• Avoid risky behaviors like over-reaching, climbing too high, rushing movements, etc.

• Report safety problems (broken/malfunctioning equipment) immediately to a supervisor or safety coordinator

Don’t let these types of accidents happen to you or your staff:

• A worker was standing on top of a stepstool, which shifted and caused him to fall. He suffered a spinal cord injury and was off work for 4 months. It wasn’t even a long fall.

• A worker failed to secure his extension ladder to the top of a 20 ft. wall and he fell to the ground when the ladder slipped away from the wall, resulting in his death.

• Two men were working on an atrium when their scaffold collapsed. They fell to a concrete deck. One man was dead on arrival at the hospital; the other was in critical condition.

Practicing the 5 steps above could have prevented all these accidents.

Ladder Dos & Don’t’s

• Do make sure ladders are secured firmly at the top and bottom and supports are locked in

• Do make sure device is on a level surface

• Do use a 4 to 1 ratio; bottom of ladder should be 1 foot away from wall for every 4 feet of ladder height

• Do always face the ladder when climbing up or down

• Do have at least 3 feet of ladder extended past the top of wall/roof; secure it

• Do pay attention to the weight limit ratings listed on the ladder label

• Don’t place a ladder against a weak surface like a window

• Don’t use metal ladders near live electrical lines

• Don’t set ladders on boxes or other objects

• Don’t get on a ladder if another person is on it

• Don’t work on a ladder when there is a strong wind

• Don’t reposition a ladder while you are on it

If your job requires you to work at heights, OSHA and your employer require you to follow safety guidelines for your protection.

3 Fall Protections Systems: (one or more of these should be in place when workers are working from heights)

Guardrails (barriers between workers and the upper level edge)

• At least 42 inches high

• Able to withstand force of at least 200 lbs.

• Materials won’t puncture skin or snag clothes

Safety nets (catch you if you fall)

• Must be no more than 30 ft. below elevated workers or area

• Have strong rope border with mesh openings smaller than 6 inches per side

• Be strength tested by dropping 400 lbs. (30-inch diameter sandbag)

• Inspected weekly for wear, damage, and deterioration

Personal fall arrest system (harness/tethers)

• Body harness connected to a fixed anchor by lanyard, lifeline, or deceleration device

• Cannot be used to hoist materials

• Must be inspected before and after use

• Self-locking, self-closing connectors

• Anchor must support at least 5,000 lbs. per attached employee

• Cannot connect to platform supports or suspension points, guardrails, or hoists

• Avoid connecting to rough edges

• Do not connect with a hitch knot

OSHA Requirements for Scaffolds

1. Scaffolds must be made of metal or stress-grade lumber

2. Cross bracing is required for metal scaffolding

3. Guys, ties, or braces are required to keep supported scaffolds from tipping over

4. Supported scaffolds must bear on base plates and mudsills

5. Scaffold platforms and walkways should be at least 18 inches wide

6. Supported scaffolds must be able to hold at least 4 times the intended load

7. Ropes for suspended scaffolds must be able to carry 6 times their intended load

8. Scaffold must be erected a safe distance away from powerlines

9. Safe access to scaffold platforms must be provided (i.e. ladders, ramps, steps)

10. Fall protection is required for work more than 10 feet above a lower surface

11. All scaffolds must have guardrails or personal fall arrest systems to prevent falls

12. Top rails must be 38-45 inches above the platform and able to support a minimum of 200 lbs.

13. Toe boards at least 4 inches high are required on open sides to keep tools and materials from falling

14. Screens must be used between guardrails and toe boards if people will be passing underneath the scaffold

15. Debris nets, catch platforms, canopies, or barricades are necessary if people are passing beneath scaffolding

16. Employees working below scaffolding are required to wear hard hats

To keep workers safe make sure they are properly trained on the hazards of working at or around heights. Teach them to inspect their equipment and report broken or malfunctioning equipment. Have available and use the proper PPE, and keep equipment clean and properly functioning. Practicing safe work behavior before someone gets hurt prevents someone from getting hurt.

5 Common Playground Hazards

Playgrounds should be a safe place for kids to play. OMAG Risk Management Services performs playground inspections for our municipalities at no charge. Consider getting your playgrounds inspected to ensure your parks and recreation facilities are safe from these common hazards:

Falls - Kids are prone to falling as they are still developing balancing skills. One way to protect them from falls is to follow safe use zones. Each piece of playground equipment has a use zone which gives a specific fall height. It is important to know these guidelines and follow them.

Entrapment - Strangulation due to head/neck entrapment after a feet first entry into an element is the number 3 cause of death on playgrounds. All openings must be tested to admit both feet and the head. No opening should measure between 3 ½ inches and 9 inches on any structures.

Crush & Shear Hazards - These injuries can occur at the juncture between 2 or more playground elements that have movements relative to each other and lack the recommended clearance between parts. It is important to have your playground inspected by a trained professional who will take notice of these types of hazards.

Protrusions - A rigid projection becomes a protrusion hazard when it extends beyond the recommended ASTM standard, which is measured by placing 3 projection test gauges over the protruding bolt, fastener, step, or handle.

Trip Hazards - These include deep pits/cracks in degraded poured-in-place rubber surfacing, clumps/folds of geo-fabric, exposure of the layer beneath engineered wood fiber surfacing when the wood mulch is scattered, and the tops and edges of concrete footings exposed due to the wearing away of safety surfacing.

For a more detailed description of playground safety specifications go to www.omag.org (OMAG’s webpage), click on “free services” then “public works”, then under SAFETY DOCUMENTATION click on “The Playground Inspection Manual” and open the document icon found in the lower-left corner of your computer screen. This manual can be printed out or downloaded onto your computer or a flash drive.

If you would like to schedule a playground safety inspection by OMAG staff, contact Kip Prichard – kprichard@omag.org.

March 2021 Risk and Safety Newsletter

Playground Safety Inspections

January and February are great times to have OMAG Risk Management Services come out and do a playground safety inspection at your municipality’s local parks. This is a free service. After the inspection is complete you will receive a written report with pictures and recommendations concerning any hazardous conditions found in your playground facilities. To schedule an inspection or get more information about the Playground Inspection Program, contact Kip Prichard, OMAG Risk Management Specialist.

Workplace Violence & Security: Are Your Employees Safe?

Is your office, shop, or plant prepared to deal with a workplace violence incident?  Are your field workers?  If you aren’t sure or think it is unlikely to occur, consider this: According to OSHA, some 2 million American workers are victims of workplace violence every year.  Workplace violence can strike anywhere and anytime, and no one is immune.

Workplace violence can take place at or outside of work. It is defined as violence or the threat of violence against workers. Violence in the work environment can range from threats, verbal abuse, harassment, to physical assault and homicide.

Certain workers are at higher risk according to OSHA.  These include, but are not limited to, workers who exchange money with the public, who work alone or in small groups, and who work early in the morning or late at night. Also, workers in certain industries (healthcare, social services, municipal utilities, law enforcement, retail, and in-home installations) are at increased risk.

It is important to acknowledge workplace violence as a real threat and take it seriously. The best protection employers can offer is to establish a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence against or by employees. OSHA advises employers to create a Workplace Violence Prevention Program (OSHA/PEOSH standards) and ensure all employees are trained on it and thoroughly understand policies and procedures concerning it.

Here are some other tips for keeping workers safe:

• Provide safety education for employees so they know what behavior is and isn’t acceptable in the workplace environment.

• Consider installing video surveillance, extra lighting, and alarm systems.

• Minimize access by outsiders to your facilities by using ID badges, electronic keys, and if necessary, security guards.

• Recommend field staff and employees working alone have cell phones and handheld alarms, requiring them to check in regularly.

• Instruct workers to never enter a location that they feel may be unsafe.

• Train employees on your workplace violence procedures annually and remind them frequently to keep their eyes and ears open and report anything that makes them feel awkward, uncomfortable, or unsafe. Even if they don’t experience it but saw or heard it they must report it!

Workers need to know employers have a system in place for their protection. It is critical to ensure all employees know the policy and understand that all claims of workplace violence will be investigated and dealt with promptly.

January 2021 Risk and Safety Newsletter

13 Warning Signs That May Lead to Workplace Violence

It is vital that administrators and supervisors have conversations with their employees about the potential for violence to occur in their workplace. We must train our employees to keep their eyes and ears open, watching for signs and behavior that can lead to a violent episode, and to report issues to supervisors, human resources, or law enforcement. What leads to workplace violence almost always starts small. It is possible for someone to be fine one day and come in the next with a firearm, but such incidents are extremely rare. Escalation to violence is typically a process. Usually there are warning signs (and often many of them) of a potential workplace violence incident about to occur. Here are thirteen suggested warning signs to keep in mind and watch out for while doing your day to day duties:

1. Threats – when a person makes direct, veiled, or conditional threats of harm.

2. Unreasonable – person constantly makes slighting references to others. They are never happy with what is going on. Consistently unreasonable and overreacts to feedback and criticism. They blow everything out of proportion. Individual tends to take comments personally and turn them into grudges.

3. Intimidation and control-oriented – individual feels a need to constantly force their opinion on others. Having a compulsive need to control situations. They use intimidation to get their way; can be physical or verbal. (Examples: fear tactics, verbal threats, harassment)

4. Paranoid – a person thinks other employees are out to get them. They think there is a conspiracy to all functions in society. They make comments of being persecuted or being a victim of injustice.

5. Angry, argumentative, and lacks impulse control – an individual has many hate and anger issues on and off the job with coworkers, friends, family, or the government. They are frequently involved in confrontations, are belligerent, and argue with others, including authority figures. This person demonstrates low impulse control (slamming or throwing things, cursing and threatening, physically animated with aggressive gestures.

6. Irresponsible – individual does not take responsibility for any of their behaviors, faults, or mistakes; it’s always someone or something else that is to blame. They make excuses and blame others, the organization, or the system for their actions.

7. Antisocial behaviors – this person has a fascination with violence and acceptance of violence as a way to handle situations; they applaud violent acts portrayed in the media such as racial incidents, domestic violence, active shooting sprees, or executions. They may have issues with law enforcement. May demonstrate an obsession with the killing power of weapons and their effect on people. They may demonstrate a pattern of behavior that shows a disregard for the rights of others.

8. Vindictive – makes statements like “he’ll get his”, “what goes around comes around” or “one of these days I’ll make them pay.” Verbalizes hope for something bad to happen to others, especially those they have a grudge against.

9. Bizarre and weird behavior – the person is quirky, strange, considered weird, and behaves in an unusual manner. Their presence makes others feel uneasy and uncomfortable. This behavior by itself doesn’t mean a person will become violent but coupled with other signs may be an indicator.

10. Desperation – a person is experiencing extreme desperation with family, finances, or personal problems; they are making comments of feeling “at the end of their rope” or “there’s no other way to deal with it.” They seem backed into a corner with no options.

11. Obsessive compulsive behaviors – the person has obsessive involvement with the job, they have no apparent outside interests; they eat, sleep, and live for the job. Or they have a romantic obsession with a coworker who has no interest in them. They may suffer from other forms of obsession; jealous interest in a specific topic, or perfectionist tendencies. Again, this behavior doesn’t mean they will necessarily become violent but look for a pattern of other signs coupled with obsessive compulsive behavior.

12. Substance abuse – persons demonstrating signs of alcohol and or drug abuse; frequent absences or tardiness, off-task and distracted on the job, disregard for safety policies and procedures; disoriented, jittery, slurred speech, frequently not where they are supposed to be or missing for stretches of time.

13. Chronic depression – a person displays signs of chronic depression, loss of interest and confidence in life or work, lethargic lacks energy, particularly when it is a significant change in behavior. The person was usually engaged, involved, and active but now they seem withdrawn and disengaged.

Just because a person appears to be demonstrating any of these signs doesn’t mean they are going to become violent at work, but it does mean supervisors, human resources, and administration should be aware of the signs and perhaps offer some assistance.  Recommend getting some help using the Employee Assistance Program through New Directions. It is free to OMAG plan participants. Go to www.omag.org and search for “employee assistance program” for more information. We all have difficulty dealing with life at one point or another. Keep an eye out for the signs and offer help to your coworkers early in the process; doing so may save lives.

Reducing Firefighters’ Chemical Exposures from Contaminated Skin or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Through direct contact to the skin or off-gassing from PPE, firefighters can be exposed to potentially hazardous chemicals both during and after firefighting activities.

OMAG is issuing this alert to Oklahoma Fire Departments to raise awareness of this type of chemical exposure and encourage them to train firefighters in ways to minimize it.

Minimize breathing contaminants:

• Maintain and test SCBAs routinely to ensure their proper function

• Use proper respiratory protection from initial attack, overhaul, and investigation

• Remain upwind of the fire if not directly involved in the response

• Provide as much natural ventilation as feasible to burned structures before starting investigations and when responders are not wearing respiratory protection

Minimize skin absorption:

• Wear long hoods that are unlikely to come untucked during response

• Keep protective ensembles on during overhaul

• Do gross field decontamination of PPE to remove as much soot and particulate matter as possible

• Wash hands immediately and shower as soon as possible after a fire response

• Use moistened wipes to remove as much soot as possible from head, neck, jaw, throat, underarms, and hands immediately while still on the scene

• Clean PPE, gloves, hood, and helmet immediately after a fire response

• Have turnout gear cleaned routinely in accordance with NFPA 1851 or the latest version.

Minimize inhalation of chemicals released from contaminated gear:

• Remove SCBA and hood last when doffing gear during decontamination

• Doff gear before entering the rehab area

• Consider bagging contaminated PPE and securing it in an apparatus compartment

• Do not take contaminated clothes or PPE home or store them in your vehicle

• Decontaminate the interior of fire vehicles after fires

Training firefighters to adhere to these precautions can save lives, prolong careers, and save thousands of dollars in workers’ compensation claims.