24.04.2017
Two thrown from platform
Two men working on overhead powerlines from a truck mounted lift, within a light rail tunnel in Calgary, Canada, yesterday were seriously injured when they were thrown out of the basket.
A man in his early 30s suffered head and back injuries, while a man in his 20s had head, back and arm injuries. The nature of the incident suggests that neither men were using a harness and lanyard at the time.
The two were apparently working for EMS, a spokesman said: “The men were raised approximately six metres off the ground when the truck that they were working from may have begun to slide down an incline and impacted LRT infrastructure at relatively low speed nearing the tunnel entrance. The impact caused them to be thrown from their bucket onto the ground. Both were considered to be serious at the time of transport, but stable and non life-threatening.”
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A photo sent from the scene
We will update if and when we learn more
Harnesses SAVE lives. Where were their harnesses? where was the site risk assessment? One story out of USA states that the operators called 911 using their mobile phone. Where was the ground person to provide emergency retrieval ? why did the truck mounted platform slide down the rail tracks in the tunnel ?