Aerial Lift Falling Protection:

OSHA status: Belts are OK in truck-mounted railed aerial platforms provided a free fall is limited to two feet. Beyond two foot exposure, harnesses are required. OSHA wording in 1910 and 1926 still relates to safety belts and lanyards for these types of lift and not others. Why? Because the original objective was to retain a worker inside the bucket when it got hit by another vehicle. Fall protection remains the bucket railing in the opinion of the aerial lift manufacturers. But what if the worker leans over the railing, what then? Placement is not always conveniently underneath a fluorescent lamp for example for any kind of elevating platform even a scissor lift. The safest thing to do is to warn users not to lean on or over the platform railings and to stay within the platform boundary including one's hands. On single- person buckets that may seem impossible to do so therefore we begin to introduce fall protection additionally to the railing. How to do it? Engineered fall arrest system, anchor post 5 ft+ in a corner, small SRL, one system for each worker. AND then: test with a steady pull up to MAF yourself because the manufacturers may not help at this time. For more details email J. Nigel Ellis.