WAC 296-45-375   Mechanical equipment, including aerial manlift equipment.  (1) General requirements.

     (a) The critical safety components of mechanical elevating and rotating equipment shall receive a thorough visual inspection and operational test before use on each shift.

Note:

Critical safety components of mechanical elevating and rotating equipment are components whose failure would result in a free fall or free rotation of the boom.

     (b) No vehicular equipment having an obstructed view to the rear may be operated on off-highway jobsites where any employee is exposed to the hazards created by the moving vehicle, unless:

     (i) The vehicle has a reverse signal alarm audible above the surrounding noise level; or

     (ii) The vehicle is backed up only when a designated employee signals that it is safe to do so.

     (c) The operator of an electric line truck may not leave his or her position at the controls while a load is suspended, unless the employer can demonstrate that no employee (including the operator) might be endangered.

     (d) Rubber-tired, self-propelled scrapers, rubber-tired front-end loaders, rubber-tired dozers, wheel-type agricultural and industrial tractors, crawler-type tractors, crawler-type loaders, and motor graders, with or without attachments, shall have rollover protective structures that meet the requirements of chapter 296-155 WAC, Part V.

     (2) Outriggers.

     (a) Vehicular equipment, if provided with outriggers, shall be operated with the outriggers extended and firmly set as necessary for the stability of the specific configuration of the equipment. Outriggers may not be extended or retracted outside of clear view of the operator unless all employees are outside the range of possible equipment motion.

     (b) If the work area or the terrain precludes the use of outriggers, the equipment may be operated only within its maximum load ratings for the particular configuration of the equipment without outriggers.

     (3) Applied loads. Mechanical equipment used to lift or move lines or other material shall be used within its maximum load rating and other design limitations for the conditions under which the work is being performed.

     (4) Hydraulic fluids. All hydraulic fluids used for the insulated section of derrick trucks, aerial lifts, and hydraulic tools which are used on or around energized lines or equipment shall be of the insulating type.

     (5) Mechanical adjustment or repairs shall not be attempted or performed in the field except by a person qualified to perform such work.

     (6) Malfunction or needed repairs of manlift equipment shall be reported to the employee responsible for such repairs as soon as is reasonably possible. Use of equipment which is known to be in need of repairs or is malfunctioning is prohibited when such deficiency creates an unsafe operating condition.

     (7) When any aerial manlift equipment is parked for operation at the job site, the brakes shall be set. Wheel chocks shall be used to prevent accidental movement while parked on an incline.

     (8) Employees shall not sit or stand on the basket edge, stand on materials placed in or across the basket, or work from a ladder set inside the basket.

     (9) The basket shall not be rested on a fixed object(s) so that the weight of the boom is either totally or partially supported by the basket.

     (10) Operations near energized lines or equipment.

     (a) Mechanical equipment shall be operated so that the minimum approach distances of Table 1 through Table 4 are maintained from exposed energized lines and equipment. However, the insulated upper portion excluding the basket/bucket of an aerial lift operated by a qualified employee in the lift is exempt from this requirement.

     (b) A designated employee other than the equipment operator shall observe the approach distance to exposed lines and equipment and give timely warnings before the minimum approach distance required by subsection (10)(a) of this section is reached, unless the employer can demonstrate that the operator can accurately determine that the minimum approach distance is being maintained.

     (c) If, during operation of the mechanical equipment, the equipment could become energized, the operation shall also comply with at least one of the following:

     (i) The energized lines exposed to contact shall be covered with insulating protective material that will withstand the type of contact that might be made during the operation.

     (ii) The equipment shall be insulated for the voltage involved. The equipment shall be positioned so that its uninsulated portions cannot approach the lines or equipment any closer than the minimum approach distances specified in Table 1 through 4.

     (iii) Each employee shall be protected from hazards that might arise from equipment contact with the energized lines. The measures used shall ensure that employees will not be exposed to hazardous differences in potential. Unless the employer can demonstrate that the methods in use protect each employee from the hazards that might arise if the equipment contacts the energized line, the measures used shall include all of the following techniques:

     (A) Using the best available ground to minimize the time the lines remain energized;

     (B) Bonding equipment together to minimize potential differences;

     (C) Providing ground mats to extend areas of equipotential; and

     (D) Employing insulating protective equipment or barricades to guard against any remaining hazardous potential differences.

Note:

Appendix B contains information on hazardous step and touch potentials and on methods of protecting employees from hazards resulting from such potentials.

     (11) While working in aerial equipment, employees shall wear a full body harness and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket, in a secure manner.

     (12) No component of aerial devices shall be operated from the ground without permission from the employee in the basket except in case of emergency.

     (13) Operating levers or controls shall be kept clear of tools, materials or obstructions.

     (14) Employees shall not climb into or out of the basket or platform while it is elevated or change from one basket to another on dual basket equipment, except in case of emergency or when the employees involved agree that this is the safest way to perform the work. This exception shall not be used to circumvent safety rules.

     (15) Existing safety rules governing the use of hot line tools, rubber and other protective equipment and safe work practices while performing work from poles or structures shall also apply to work done from aerial manlift equipment.

     (16) The basket shall be kept clean and all tools not in use shall be secured or removed.

     (17) Approved warning light shall be operating when the boom leaves the cradle. This light shall be visible to approaching traffic when the boom is in position over any traveled area.

     (18) All aerial manlift equipment shall have both upper and lower controls (except ladder trucks need not have upper controls). The upper controls shall not be capable of rendering the lower controls inoperative. The lower controls should be located at or near the base of the aerial structure. If the lower controls are used, the operator shall have a view of the elevated employee(s) or there shall be communication between the operator and the employee in the elevated aerial structure: Provided, That no employee shall be raised, lowered, or moved into or from the elevated position in any aerial manlift equipment unless there is another employee, not in the elevated aerial structure, available at the site to operate the lower controls, except as follows:

     (a) Where there is a fixed method permanently attached to or part of the equipment which will permit an employee to descend from the elevated position without lowering the elevated structure; or

     (b) Where there is a system which will provide operation from the elevated position in the event of failure or malfunction of the primary system.

Note:

This section shall not be interpreted as an exception to any other rule in this chapter.

     (19) Controls in aerial manlift equipment shall be protected from accidental operation. Controls of the outriggers shall also be protected from accidental operation. Such protection may be by guarding or equivalent means.

     (20) The manufacturer's recommended maximum load limit shall be posted at a conspicuous place near each set of controls and shall be kept in a legible condition.

     (21) The manufacturer's operator's instructional manual shall be kept on the vehicle.

     (22) Operating instructions, proper sequence and maintenance procedures prescribed by the manufacturer for operation of the equipment shall be followed.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].040, [49.17].050 and [49.17].060. 98-07-009, § 296-45-375, filed 3/6/98, effective 5/6/98.]