Safety Minute: Bucket Truck Operational Reminders

Range of Motion 

• When operating the boom, operate in smooth, gradual movements — avoid abrupt starts, stops and reversal of direction.  

• Always be aware of your boom’s trajectory before you begin operating. Never operate the boom in a position where it can be exposed to the path of open traffic lanes, or where it could come into contact with fixed objects like trees, buildings or utility poles. 

• Always maintain proper minimum approach distance from energized power lines. Your bucket truck cannot protect you from phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground contact at the boom tip, which means you need to allow for sag, sway or rocking as you are positioning and operating your aerial device.  

• Do not use aerial devices to lift or lower objects unless the aerial device was specifically designed and equipped to do so. 

Protecting Personnel 

• Once the bucket is raised and the boom is in motion, do not adjust outriggers. Never move the vehicle while personnel are in the bucket.  

• Operators must always stand with both feet on floor of the bucket — do not sit or climb onto the edge, or use planks, ladders or other devices to gain additional work height. 

• To protect the entire crew from falling debris or objects, it is important to keep ground personnel out from the fall zone under the aerial device work area. 

Working with Energized Lines 

• Never place booms, buckets or personnel closer to energized electric power lines than the applicable minimum approach distance for the nominal voltage of the energized electric power lines on the site.  

• If any part of the boom tip touches an energized object, it should be considered energized. If any part of the boom tip contacts a grounded object, it should be considered grounded. 

Recovery 

• If you become aware of any dangerous condition, unusual operation or unusual sound while operating your bucket truck, stop all movements immediately.  

• Do not move the truck until the problem has been diagnosed and resolved.