Aerial basket

Other equipment relies on isolation. Line worker s tools have nonconductive handles. Aerial baskets and their controls use nonconductive material to connect them to the lifting arm so current cannot pass through the basket. For cranes, there are devices that prevent current from flowing to the cab and chassis if the boom gets close to or contacts an overhead power line. 

OSHA standards do not prohibit employees from exiting or entering an aerial lift basket that rests on or adjacent to an elevated surface. 

Wearing a body belt and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket when working from an aerial lift. 

A body belt shall be worn and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket when working from an aerial lift. 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). 

Cover the general requirements for operating aerial hfts. Employees shall always stand firmly on the fioor of the basket, and must not sit or chmb on the edge of the basket or use planks, ladders, or other devices for a work position. Employees must also wear a body belt and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket. 

A company rented construction equipment. A rented aerial work basket tipped over, injuring its temporary operator. The operator drove the machine using controls in the elevated basket. 

A mobile aerial work basket has counter-weights intended to prevent tip over in normal operating positions. The rental agency had repaired the machine. The repair required removal of the counter-weights. After fixing the machine, the agency replaced the counter-weights. 

A. No. Section 1926.453(b)(2)(v) requires that employees working from aerial lifts be tied-off. On the other hand, when employees move from the basket to the elevated surface, the requirements in 1926 Subpart M apply. In particular, 1926.501 (b)(1) requires fall protection at six feet above a lower level. A worker may enter or exit an aerial lift (at heights above six feet) provided that fall protection such as guardrails or a fall arrest system is used while the worker moves between the lift and the working surface. During entry to and egress from the lift, a worker may tie-off to the lift (if the lift is designed to withstand the vertical and lateral loads imposed by the employee s movement itself or by an arrested fall) or to an appropriate nearby structure. 

Scissor lifts are also commonly used with school employees. Scissor lifts are much different than aerial lifts. Scissor lifts keep the basket with guardrail and the frame of the machine over the center of gravity. The catapult effect is not present, and the guardrail itself meets Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requiranents. Fall protection may also be used if the manufacturer allows for it. Scissor lifts may not be designed to withstand the force of arresting a fall. 

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