A lineman working for the PSE&G utility was thrown from his platform after the articulated arm of his truck mounted lift/bucket truck was clipped by a passing truck.
This incident occurred last Monday in Avenel, New Jersey, south of Newark and near the New York border.Thankfully the man was wearing a full harness with a short clipped on lanyard. He suffered a good few bruises and some shock, but will make a full recovery. The man, his family and the company were all lucky this time.
The dashcam video of a motorist, following the truck captured the event as it happened and was posted on the local news service Jersey Talks.
WATCH: A PSE&G utility worker was knocked from an elevated bucket after a passing vehicle struck the truck’s raised boom in Avenel on Monday morning. Dashcam video captured the frightening moment the collision sent the worker tumbling from the bucket while crews were performing overhead utility work. According to the person who shared the footage, the worker was banged up but is expected to be OK. Authorities have not yet released additional information about the incident. 📍Avenel, New Jersey
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Vertikal Comment
As is typical of this type of incident, there are two main lessons to be learned here.
1. How a harness with a short clipped on lanyard are essential lifesaving equipment when working from a boom type platform.
2. The articulated ‘knuckle’ of a lift should Never ever protrude into live traffic lanes. If a traffic lane is needed, it should be closed off with a proper cordon, not just a couple of small, almost unnoticeable cones. Ideally, a spotter should be employed to keep an eye on approaching traffic. Or portable traffic lights used.
Also, it should be said that a lineman working for a company such as PSE&G should never make such a basic error; this is such a clear risk, with so many examples such as this, that it ought to be absolutely drilled into every employee who works in the street, to the point where it becomes second nature. Or perhaps go for a straight telescopic for this type of work? The man, his family and the company were lucky this time.
One last point, if you watch the video you don't exactly see people rushing to help the man, in fact, traffic passing the other way seems to slow down, take a good look and drive on - 'rubber necking' as they call it locally. But perhaps that's a tad unfair?
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