10.3: Aerial Lifts
Aerial Lifts
Types
Aerial lifts include the following types of vehicle-mounted aerial devices used to elevate personnel to job-sites above ground:
- Extendable boom platforms
- Aerial ladders
- Articulating boom platforms
- Vertical towers
- A combination of any such devices.
Employee positioning
Employees shall always stand firmly on the floor of the basket, and shall not sit or climb on the edge of the basket or use planks, ladders, or other devices for a work position.
Restraint Systems
Belting off to an adjacent pole, structure, or equipment while working from an aerial lift shall not be permitted. A body belt shall be worn and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket when working from an aerial lift. Note: As of January, 1998, subpart M of this part (1926.502(d)) provides that body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. The use of a body belt in a tethering system or in a restraint system is acceptable and is regulated under 1926.502(e).
Load Capacity
Boom and basket load limits specified by the manufacturer shall not be exceeded. An aerial lift truck shall not be moved when the boom is elevated in a working position with men in the basket, except for equipment which is specifically designed for this type of operation.
Controls
Articulating boom and extensible boom platforms, primarily designed as personnel carriers, shall have both platform (upper) and lower controls. Upper controls shall be in or beside the platform within easy reach of the operator. Lower controls shall provide for overriding the upper controls. Controls shall be plainly marked as to their function. Lower level controls shall not be operated unless permission has been obtained from the employee in the lift, except in case of emergency.
Training Requirements
Hazard training
The employer shall have each employee who performs work while on a scaffold trained by a person qualified in the subject matter to recognize the hazards associated with the type of scaffold being used and to understand the procedures to control or minimize those hazards.
The training shall include the following areas, as applicable:
- The nature of any electrical hazards, fall hazards and falling object hazards in the work area;
- The correct procedures for dealing with electrical hazards and for erecting, maintaining, and disassembling the fall protection systems and falling object protection systems being used;
- The proper use of the scaffold, and the proper handling of materials on the scaffold;
- The maximum intended load and the load-carrying capacities of the scaffolds used; and
- Any other pertinent requirements of this subpart.
Training Topics
The employer shall have each employee who is involved in erecting, disassembling, moving, operating, repairing, maintaining, or inspecting a scaffold trained by a competent person to recognize any hazards associated with the work in question. The training shall include the following topics, as applicable:
- The nature of scaffold hazards;
- The correct procedures for erecting, disassembling, moving, operating, repairing, inspecting, and maintaining the type of scaffold in question;
- The design criteria, maximum intended load-carrying capacity and intended use of the scaffold;
- Any other pertinent requirements of this subpart.
Retraining
When the employer has reason to believe that an employee lacks the skill or understanding needed for safe work involving the erection, use or dismantling of scaffolds, the employer shall retrain each such employee so that the requisite proficiency is regained.