Some types of jobs are riskier than others, and one of the jobs that fits into that category is working with an aerial bucket truck. Despite its safety features, there is always a great risk involved in working at tall heights. As a result, it is very important for companies in this line of work to develop a proficiency in both fall recovery methods and apparatus. Following is important information about fall rescue education and equipment usage that is listed by various types.
Types
Self Rescue – Ninety percent of the time, the only type of recovery that needs to be performed is self-recovery. This is often the case when workers fall off balance while in the bucket, fall out of it and get suspended in mid-air. This is not totally bad as it does mean that the employee has properly utilized a safety harness which has performed as it should and prevented this person from a complete descent to the ground.
As long as the person is conscious and uninjured, that worker’s own safety line can be utilized to climb back to the safety of the bucket. It is also extremely helpful if the harness is equipped with suspension trauma straps. These are activated by the suspended employee who connects available buckles and then is able to stand on the straps to relieve the otherwise harmful pressure on the body from hanging upside down.
Mechanically Aided Rescue – The remaining 10% of recovery situations involve a mechanically aided one. This method requires intervention by trained rescuers to help the fallen worker. This type of extrication usually applies when the victim is injured and has lost the capability of getting back to the ground. Two of the most common scenarios when this happens are electrocution and losing consciousness while working in mid-air. Aid is usually in three types: a rope system, a lifting line or an aerial lift.
Who is Expected to Perform a Rescue?
Every authorized bucket truck user is expected to know how to perform an immediate aerial recovery using pre-engineered systems.
If it is your co-worker who has had a debilitating accident while working on an aerial lift, do you know how to perform a rescue? Such a scenario requires this be done timely. How quickly you can respond to that employee’s ordeal will define the outcome of such a scenario.
Importance of Regular Drills
To perform this recovery effectively, there are several elements that should come into play. The person saving the victim must have comprehensive knowledge about performing an aerial retrieval without causing any additional injury to the fallen individual as well as to oneself. The rescuer must also be conditioned to perform this without any anxiety.
These elements can only be achieved if the bucket truck operator has had regular and comprehensive training drills. The worker’s ability should come as second nature, so when any accident occurs, saving the victim can be carried out immediately, reducing the amount of time the victim is exposed to potentially dangerous elements.
Common Methods
There are several methods available when saving a worker by a mechanically aided procedure. This depends on the type of training as well as the type of equipment available. Preferably, those that are mechanically aided are only done using pre-engineered systems rather than conventional rope rescue techniques which can be more challenging to administer.
Rescuers can save the victim by using a hoist line which the suspended worker can grab and then be hoisted to a safe level. A pre-engineered system can also be used to lower the suspended worker back to the ground. Still another lift can save the suspended employee by placing the bucket right below them. They can then secure the suspended worker to be helped back to the ground.
Performing an immediate aerial recovery is vital, but it is important that the rescuer is provided with the right equipment and has undergone proper training to do it successfully. Life-saving rescues can then indeed be performed to aid imperiled workers in aerial bucket trucks!
Christopher M. Hunter is an expert in commercial specialty trucks. Click here to find out more about Aerial Bucket Trucks.
