September 26, 2023

Falls from aerial lifts and communicating with operators

As a service to our policyholders, Texas Mutual shares serious workplace injury trends based on catastrophic injuries and fatalities reported to our claims department. Not all of these reported injuries are covered by workers’ compensation, but our goal is to help you ensure these types of incidents do not happen in your workplace. Find safety tips below to help keep your employees safe on the job.

If you have questions, we encourage you to contact our safety services support center at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723) or safety@texasmutual.com.

In this alert:

• Falls from aerial lifts
• Communicating with operators

Falls from aerial lifts

Recently, there have been multiple serious claims reported where an employee fell while using an aerial lift. In one incident, an employee was attempting to move materials to a higher floor. The employee stepped onto an aerial lift while holding materials, then used the lift as an elevator to reach a floor that was 30 feet high. While carrying the materials, the employee stepped off the lift and fell between the lift and the edge of the floor. The employee landed on the concrete below and suffered serious head injuries.

Although lifts are essential to accomplish many jobs, there are necessary safety measures that must be followed.

• Before starting work, inspect the lift for any damage and perform a hazard inspection of the area.
• Ensure that the lift is on stable, level ground and that the parking brake is engaged before stepping onto the lift.
• Do not exceed the weight limit of the lift.
• While standing on a lift, avoid climbing on or leaning over the guardrails.
• When using a personal fall arrest system (PFAS), keep your lanyard attached to the boom or bucket at all times.

Communicating with operators

An employee was on their way to retrieve a tool and walked behind a piece of heavy equipment without first notifying the machine’s operator. Not seeing the employee on foot, the operator swung the equipment around, causing the counterweight to crush the employee against a wall. Unfortunately, the employee suffered fatal injuries.

It’s important that employees working around large machinery understand the hazards, stay out of blocked areas and communicate clearly with the equipment operator.

• Follow your company’s plan for communicating with equipment operators.
• The designated spotter should always maintain audio and/or visual contact with the operator.
• Make sure you understand visual limitations of operators, including blind spots, or areas where operators cannot see employees.
• Wait for a signal from the equipment operator or spotter before approaching.
• Avoid using cell phones and headphones, which could distract you or disrupt communication with the operator.

Get free safety resources

Texas Mutual policyholders have access to thousands of free training materials in our multimedia safety resource center, including our safety catalog with up-to-date resources.

To access the free materials, log in to your texasmutual.com account and select Safety. If you need help accessing the safety resource center or you have a workplace safety question, call us toll-free at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723).

Download a PDF (168KB) version of the September Safety Alert.