Thoughts, experience, or rules on falling objects

[Trbl639]

To Answer Chicago hand........

I gotta agree with Poot! If I had an answer man I'd give it to ya! Accidents are gonna happen.it's part of the trade, we can take all the steps necessary to mitigate a known hazard, but some things are beyond our control.and accidents will hapeen!

Last year I worked I was on our Safety Advisory Board........lineman from every yard in the state to review accidents, recommend how to prevent then deal.........the VP over Operations a Zero tolerance Policy on all accidents, so I put him in this scenario............

I'm set up on a city street, in the bucket working..100% by the book on all counts......a drunk comes down the street, speeding, swerves over hits the truck, throws me out of the bucket, and breaks my back....and the VP said that was a preventable Accident!!!

Now how in the cat hair am I gonna stop a drunk from swerving over and hitting the truck...it ain't happening!! Thus the definition of things beyond our control..aka accidents!!

[CHICAGO HAND.]

I side with many of you on accidents happen, right.
But when a man drops a cross arm or drops a wrench is there anything that could prevent things like that from happening or prevent people on the ground from getting hit. Way too many times there are men cleaning up underneath guys when they are still working above. I don't call that an uncontrolled accident. I call that @#&^%*& ^%$#&.
Some of the work may be necessary while work is going on above, but not the amount we do consistently.
I think barricading off the area is a good start but the one doing the barricading is the one chomping at the bit to get in that area. I think it is a behavior that needs changing and I think we can do a lot with the problem we have with dropping stuff. I was just asking for feedback about how you would fix some of the unintentional drops. Getting out from underneath is good but we still haven't fixed the problem of the stuff that is dropping.
I appreciate all your comments I just think that this is a big area that needs attention. Way too many accidents are preventable, not all but many.

[Pootnaigle]

Damn Steve I remember doin that same thing on a 300 ft river crossing.Hung from a bosuns chair through a block at the top and a fancy knot that would slip to get you lower. repelled from one side to the other,safetyd off to the new leg and changed every bolt and nut. I kaint help but wonder how they would do a job like that today? I know that by the time we got to the ground that fancy knot was damn near burned through from friction.I am purdy sure it would be a no no today to do one that way.

[Trojan]

To Answer Chicago hand........


I'm set up on a city street, in the bucket working..100% by the book on all counts......a drunk comes down the street, speeding, swerves over hits the truck, throws me out of the bucket, and breaks my back....and the VP said that was a preventable Accident!!!

Now how in the cat hair am I gonna stop a drunk from swerving over and hitting the truck...it ain't happening!! Thus the definition of things beyond our control..aka accidents!!

Trbl,
I think that's the point. You can't control everything (drunk drivers etc) but you try to control as much as you can.

[Trojan]

....repelled from one side to the other,safetyd off to the new leg and changed every bolt and nut. I kaint help but wonder how they would do a job like that today? I know that by the time we got to the ground that fancy knot was damn near burned through from friction.I am purdy sure it would be a no no today to do one that way.

Poot, Batts,
C'mon! All your stories make me think there has got to be a better way. You seen some close calls or been hit. Same for me. I'd like to suggest that you change your frame of mind. Put yourself in place of the man who has been seriously hurt or killed by a fallen object. I think there is something better than "accidents happen" or "get out of the trade".
Seems like the solution is common sense. Don't drop objects and don't go underneath other workers. I was looking for ways to tighten up or formalize those two ideas.
We all know it is a dangerous job and people will be hurt or killed. There is no magic to fix all the hazards but I am sure there are was to cut down on the accidents. They may be a pain in the ass, but the whole gig is a tough one. Probably every safety rule caused lineman to complain. Hard hats, glasses and low volt gloves weren't required when I started. Each one was a pain and I had to force myself to use those things. I don't know if they saved me specifically, but I'm sure they saved some lineman somewhere on our property.

[rob8210]

There ya go. The only sensible answer. Do not work underneath a man in the air, period. When you have to go in the drop zone then the man in the air needs to stop until you are done. Fencing off the drop zone will help keep the public out and minimize the chances of some one getting hit. Like everything else, I wish we could eliminate it but in reality we can only minimize it. Ideas such as tethers create their own problems such as getting hung up on hardware.

[Trojan]

Batts,
That would be stupid. It's not what I suggested Or what I was thinking.

[Trojan]

I did say "don't drop". I should have said 'avoid drop". Some drops will happen accidentally. Some rare times, it is safer to drop. I am looking for a way to reinforce & formalize staying away from underneath and planned drops.
Nice pics of linemen working.