Boom lifts: stay in the basket and tied to it
Scaffolds 5 min 29 CFR 1926.453
Why it matters
Boom lifts get painters high fast, but they can tip over, throw a worker out of the basket, or crush someone against a beam. Most boom lift deaths come from tip-overs, ejection, and caught-between accidents. Almost all of them can be prevented with the same few habits.
The talk
Only trained and authorized people run the lift. Before the first use each day, test the controls from the ground and from the basket. Check that the emergency stop works, the tires and outriggers look right, and there are no leaks. Walk the ground where you will drive and set up. Look for soft dirt, holes, curbs, trenches, and slopes. Look up for power lines, tree limbs, and overhangs. Set the brakes. If the lift has outriggers, put them on pads or solid ground. If you have to set up on a slope, chock the wheels and stay within what the maker allows. Know the basket load limit, and count yourself, your partner, your paint, and your tools.
Wear a full body harness with a short lanyard clipped to the anchor point in the basket, the one the maker provides. A body belt is not allowed for fall arrest. Never clip off to the building, a beam, or another structure while you are in the basket. If the lift moves, it will pull you out. Stand on the basket floor at all times. Do not sit or climb on the rails, and do not put a ladder, bucket, or plank in the basket to reach higher. If you cannot reach, move the lift. Do not drive the lift with the boom up and people in the basket unless the machine is built for it.
Watch for crush points. When you move the basket up next to a beam, soffit, or ceiling, you can get pinned between the rail and the object above. Look up and in the direction you are moving before you touch the controls, and go slow near anything overhead. Keep your body inside the rails. Keep a person on the ground who knows how to use the lower controls in case you get stuck or hurt. Keep others out of the area under the basket so dropped tools do not hit them. Wind can push a basket and tip a lift. If it gets gusty, bring it down.
Key points
- Only trained, authorized people operate the lift.
- Test controls from the ground and basket each day.
- Wear a full body harness with a lanyard clipped to the basket anchor.
- Never tie off to the building or a beam from the basket.
- Stand on the basket floor, never on rails, ladders, or buckets.
- Set brakes and outriggers on solid ground or pads.
- Watch overhead for crush points and power lines.
Do this
- Walk the ground and look up before you set up.
- Count all people, paint, and tools against the load limit.
- Move the lift if you cannot reach.
- Keep a trained person on the ground near the lower controls.
- Bring the lift down if the wind picks up.
Do not do this
- Do not use a body belt for fall arrest.
- Do not climb or sit on the basket rails.
- Do not drive with the boom raised unless the lift is built for it.
- Do not raise the basket without looking up first.
- Do not let people work under the basket.
Talk about it
- What on this site could tip our lift or pin someone in the basket?
- Who on the ground knows how to bring the basket down with the lower controls?
- What is the load limit on the lift we are using, and what are we carrying up?
Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.
Send to the crew
The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.
Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.