Aerial Lifts and OSHA Grants

Holiday decorations, light pole banners, and flags are all operations that most municipalities deal with on an annual basis. Working at elevated heights adds a risk and safety considerations to the day-to-day operation.

When you are working above ground level how are you completing these tasks? Are you using a ground ladder, bucket truck, contractors, or something unsafe? Hopefully it’s not the last one. What about vehicle traffic control and/or pedestrian traffic?

The City of Victoria has changed their approach to these tasks in the last few years moving from ground ladders, a borrowed/rented bucket truck, to aerial lifts.

Victoria evaluated their operations in their thriving downtown and other locations that require scheduled elevated work. The City was able to use ladders for most of their downtown area as they installed Holiday decorations, flags multiple times a year, and replaced pole banners multiple times are year. Utilizing the ladder was a good practice but added an ergonomic risk. When the ladder wasn’t an option, they were able to rent a bucket truck from other municipalities, but that depended on scheduling, availability, and where it would work. The bucket truck didn’t always fit into tight areas and added a traffic control consideration.

Victoria looked at many options but decided to look at Skid-Lift as their option. The City of Victoria also utilized the Minnesota OSHASafety Grant Program to help with this purchase. Minimizing the use of traffic lanes and improving employee safety are all considerations when evaluating their needs. 

Attached are a few photos of Victoria’s old ladder operation, and after Victoria was awarded the Safety Grant to purchase the Skid-Lift for Holiday Decorations:

City of Victoria

City of Victoria

City of Victoria

Submitted by: Troy T. Walsh, Loss Control Consultant