What should one do if an aerial lift tips over?
If you’re in an aerial lift, and it tips over, should you try to hold on to the bucket, try to jump clear, or what? What is the industry best standard?
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Assuming I was not able to hang onto whatever I was working on, I think I would try to hold onto the side of the bucket that was not going to hit the ground, with the hopes that I’d be able to slow my deceleration with my arms and minimize the impact.
I realize the G forces might be more than my arms or hands can hold, but any energy one trims off (by spraining or breaking arms, shoulders, etc) is energy that doesn’t end up being applied to one’s head or other vital organs.
I worked in aerial lift bucket trucks as a signal technician. At times, I was as much as 30′ above the ground. We never went up in a lift unless we had a short lanyard attached to a structural member of the bucket. This was intended to keep us INSIDE the bucket – it was best to ride it down – injuries would be less. If you try to jump clear, you only have one direction you can jump and that’ in the direction the boom is falling; you really don’t have enough time to determine the best direction to jump and I’ll guarantee you cannot jump far enough to clear the boom that’s about to pound you into the ground. If you can jump that far, you need to be on the Olympic track and field team.