02.07.2016

Harness proves its worth

One man died while his co-worker lived following an incident in which a truck clipped the platform of a boom lift in Seattle, Washington, yesterday.

The two were working from a JLG 460SJ owned by Hertz Equipment, they were apparently employed by contractor C.A. Carey which is replacing the bearing pads on the West Seattle Bridge.
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The platform was protruding marginally into the traffic lane of the ramp

The platform was working on the road side of a bridge pillar with the platform protruding slightly into the space above one of the bridge exit ramps. Reports suggest that no cones or warning had been placed on the road, although cones were on site ready for use and a traffic plan was filed for the work.

The top corner of a refrigerated box van coming down the ramp clipped the underside of the boom as it passed, causing enough of a catapult effect to eject both men from the platform.
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The men were working on a contract to replace the bearing pads on the West Seattle Bridge

The older of the two, 57, was wearing a harness which was clipped in, albeit with an overlong lanyard, the other, Rafe Rasmussen, 40, was clearly not clipped in and fell five or six metres to the road below. He died shortly after arriving at hospital. The older man suffered a serious injury but was out of danger last night after undergoing surgery.

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries and the Occupational Safety Health Administration are investigating.
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The platform was virtually undamaged

Vertikal Comment

This is a sad and completely avoidable incident, it is possible that the two men were unaware that the basket of the boom lift was protruding slightly into the airspace above the roadway. However had they been wearing harnesses with short lanyards both would probably have remained in the platform and might be nursing nothing more than bruises today, the platform was hardly damaged at all.

The machine was in perfect working order, amazingly a video showing the machine being recovered, shows a man in the platform wearing a harness but with an exceptionally long lanyard - too long to have prevented him from hitting the ground!

Clearly there was either a lack of planning involved in this work, or if there was the men were unaware of it, as a result a man has now paid with his life.