30.06.2010

Lift operator saved by building

An aerial lift operator escaped serious injury yesterday after his platform caught on the building as it tipped.

The man was working on the Onslow County Jail in Jacksonville, North Carolina and was driving the lift, a JLG 860SJ owned by H&E Equipment, over the side while fully elevated and extended to around 20 metres, when either the ground gave way under a wheel, or according to local reports the ground was not level.
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The tipped machine

The result was that the lift tipped over backwards, but fortunately the platform caught on the side of the building and held, and the operator was not catapulted out of the platform – perhaps due to wearing a harness and lanyard?
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The platform caught on the building and the rotator held- possibly preventing a more serious accident?

The local fire and rescue quickly arrived on the scene with a ladder platform and rescued the man, Larry Shambley, from the lift, he was later released from hospital.

OSHA and the state Department of Labor have opened an investigation into the accident the main contractor is Hudson Brothers Construction Company
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The operator is rescued from the platform

The site has, according to local reports already faced 11 serious violations and fines totally more than $30,000 after a worker died from a fall inside the building last December.