A very sobering and reinforcing JLG event, indeed. What you read below (and see in the attached pictures) relate to an event at an Air Force Base on June 10th. The man working 40 feet in the air in the JLG lived through the event. A very lucky man? No. He made his own luck. He had the discipline to wear a safety harness; to don it correctly; and, to tie off properly. The blood splatter in the pictures? OK, so he broke his nose but, he lived to tell about it. The investigation is incomplete but I have a few additional facts:
1. The facility was built in the 1940s.
2. The grating that failed is designed for loads in excess of the weight of the JLG.
3. The large amount of blood splatter is because it took a while to rescue the victim.
If I get a final report I’ll send it on to you. I think the most important lesson learned is what I reinforced in the opening paragraph below.
This is why we tie off in JLGs.
* Survey the area before rolling over it
* Be suspicious of gratings, covers, etc.
* Have a rescue plan
* Always, always tie off, even when just moving or relocating.
It seems to me that reports of these types of events (manlifts breaking through grating, vault covers, or sinking into soft ground) are becoming more common.
