# Bucket truck fall



## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Another needless death :sad:


https://nypost.com/2019/09/12/worke...after-box-truck-slams-into-his-cherry-picker/


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

Close

the 

lane

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

Signal1 said:


> Close
> 
> the
> 
> ...


Doesn't sound like he was harnessed in either.


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## Fist of lightning (Aug 15, 2019)

I heard of The shop he worked for their out of local 3 .

Close the lane , and always clip in . 
Rip hate to hear this


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

Yes, Welsbach is local 3. He wasn't repairing a streetlight, he was repairing a traffic signal.


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## Fist of lightning (Aug 15, 2019)

LawnGuyLandSparky said:


> Yes, Welsbach is local 3. He wasn't repairing a streetlight, he was repairing a traffic signal.


I know a few guys that wrk for that shop .

If you do traffic signals and that type of work . Is it the same rate as the inside wireman .


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## J F Go (Mar 1, 2014)

Gotta work smart so we get to go home at night. RIP


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

Welsbach has guys doing traffic light work and street light work often alone and with no backup or cones all the time unfortunately. I feel horrible for his family and him. RIP.


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## Fist of lightning (Aug 15, 2019)

Apelectric said:


> Welsbach has guys doing traffic light work and street light work often alone and with no backup or cones all the time unfortunately. I feel horrible for his family and him. RIP.


Their should be a ground guy when ever theirs a guy going up in bucket .
I hope their is a safety investigation on the accident and things will change from here on out regarding how they operate.


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## TGGT (Oct 28, 2012)

New York may have better enforcement. Nationwide though OSHA investigations and fines are down, and it's not due to lack of incidents.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

Fist of lightning said:


> I know a few guys that wrk for that shop .
> 
> If you do traffic signals and that type of work . Is it the same rate as the inside wireman .



Yes. But most of the street light crews work at night . 7pm-2am. Only major works like pole replacement is during the day - the difference between doing regular inside wireman work and working in the "J" division (Maint) is you don't get the overtime rate for working nights. 



The accident occurred at 2:45am - that wouldn't be street light maint. because they're done at 2am. Traffic works 24 x 7 - and the photo shows a van not a regular bucket truck.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

Apelectric said:


> Welsbach has guys doing traffic light work and street light work often alone and with no backup or cones all the time unfortunately. I feel horrible for his family and him. RIP.



-If the guy didn't cone out, that's on him. There's nothing in the article that indicates otherwise. If he was working on a street light the bucket would never have been extended over traffic anyway. 



-Unless the truck was moved, the photo shows it on the side against parked cars - It may already be blocking the lane, but if he extended out over to the 3LL they're only 16' above the roadway - the bottom of your bucket would be much lower. 



-All night maint. works alone except highway crews.


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## FishinElectrcian (Jul 18, 2019)

J F Go said:


> Gotta work smart so we get to go home at night. RIP


I hate hearing about that stuff, just a poor bastard doing his job. It's sad, you can control a lot of your work but there's no way to stop idiots. Could have been cones out that the truck driver missed, could have been too tired to clip in or could have just been reaching for a minute so he didn't have to get down and move his rig. 

My heart goes out to his family.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

Fist of lightning said:


> Their should be a ground guy when ever theirs a guy going up in bucket .
> I hope their is a safety investigation on the accident and things will change from here on out regarding how they operate.



I just re-read the article, and missed this:


Federal regulations require that at least two workers be on scene when a cherry picker or bucket truck is in use.


This was not the case years ago, I don't know if they still all work alone or work in teams now. 



OSHA will investigate they investigate every death.


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

Gonna just come out and say this, and maybe I'll take some heat for it.

First and foremost my heart, prayers, and wishes go out to all involved, not just the life lost and the family/friends of the one that has passed, but also to the man who took a life more than likely just doing what he has to do everyday. 

It's a **** show and sucks every which way around. There are zero winners in this game, everyone is a loser.

That being said....

This doesn't matter whether or not it was union or non. It was a man that was putting food on the table by doing what he does, working hard. 

We all can learn from it. We have the problem of skirting safety and we all know it. 

"It will take 2 seconds to do this"

"I've done it a thousand times"

"Back in my day"

Whatever the excuse, it doesn't bring you back to your family, your kids, your wife, etc....


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## Fist of lightning (Aug 15, 2019)

The other day I was up in the bucket 50’ up changing out ballast and bulbs . After I came down I noticed I did the entire install without clipping in . 

I was so disappointed Bc I try and always be as safety conscious as I can . And luckily I didn’t pay the price for my error.

I asked the ground guy to remind me every time I go up and say hey you clipped in and I’ll give him the thumbs up .

Be safe everyone in the feild at the end of the day all that matters is making it home safe .


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

May he rest in peace and God be with his family.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

Apelectric said:


> Welsbach has guys doing traffic light work and street light work often alone and with no backup or cones all the time unfortunately. I feel horrible for his family and him. RIP.


It's good they're a large company, his family will get bank in the lawsuit, and OSHA will take the rest. This is a union shop? It's a shame companies are more concerned with the bottom line, than their employees safety. And, that employees are doing stupid/unsafe stuff to keep that job. Sometimes, "if you don't want to do it, I'll get someone who does", goes too far.


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## stiffneck (Nov 8, 2015)

MechanicalDVR said:


> May he rest in peace and God be with his family.


Ditto


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## stiffneck (Nov 8, 2015)

We have two basket trucks, areal platforms, etc, used out on the streets and tunnel at Airport. Several close calls over the years. More recently we've used a yuge Oshkosh dump truck from Field Maintenance to block lane. A spotter watches where the basket is and ALL traffic in any adjacent open lanes. And as others have said, always tie off. Being next to the interstate, some people come in like a plane landing.


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## stiffneck (Nov 8, 2015)

joebanana said:


> It's good they're a large company, his family will get bank in the lawsuit, and OSHA will take the rest. *This is a union shop?* It's a shame companies are more concerned with the bottom line, than their employees safety. And, that employees are doing stupid/unsafe stuff to keep that job. Sometimes, "if you don't want to do it, I'll get someone who does", goes too far.



Does that make a difference?


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

stiffneck said:


> Does that make a difference?


Only to the shop steward.(if they have one) You can bet it'll come up at the next general meeting, and will probably effect the CBA.


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Saw guys working 5' in the ground right on the white line on the traffic lane on US41 today. Saw the same thing on the other side of town last week. Can't believe it. No closing lanes or anything.


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## catsparky1 (Sep 24, 2013)

I was working on a parking garage one night . My ground support guy coned off all the entrances and exits and parked his truck with flashing beacon on the ramp just up from me on the ramp . I hear a car coming and I start asking him where the car is . I see lights moving on the helix above me reflecting off the fog . The next thing I know I hear tires screeching and a BMW stops just inches from my lift . The guy tells me to move " not till im done and Im going on break for the next hour . 

We went and walked the helix to see how he got there . He drove through our cones and caution tape and around the trucks on the sidewalks . So we called the cops on his a$$ . He was drunk and just stupid . We also had electric signs up for a week telling people the ramps would be closed for 30 minutes on the hour starting at midnight . 

Be safe cause you can't fix stupid .


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## Fist of lightning (Aug 15, 2019)

catsparky1 said:


> I was working on a parking garage one night . My ground support guy coned off all the entrances and exits and parked his truck with flashing beacon on the ramp just up from me on the ramp . I hear a car coming and I start asking him where the car is . I see lights moving on the helix above me reflecting off the fog . The next thing I know I hear tires screeching and a BMW stops just inches from my lift . The guy tells me to move " not till im done and Im going on break for the next hour .
> 
> We went and walked the helix to see how he got there . He drove through our cones and caution tape and around the trucks on the sidewalks . So we called the cops on his a$$ . He was drunk and just stupid . We also had electric signs up for a week telling people the ramps would be closed for 30 minutes on the hour starting at midnight .
> 
> Be safe cause you can't fix stupid .


I deal with this all the time people drive through our cone set up .

Or they will have miles of room to drive and decide to park right next to our truck .


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## FishinElectrcian (Jul 18, 2019)

Fist of lightning said:


> catsparky1 said:
> 
> 
> > I was working on a parking garage one night . My ground support guy coned off all the entrances and exits and parked his truck with flashing beacon on the ramp just up from me on the ramp . I hear a car coming and I start asking him where the car is . I see lights moving on the helix above me reflecting off the fog . The next thing I know I hear tires screeching and a BMW stops just inches from my lift . The guy tells me to move " not till im done and Im going on break for the next hour .
> ...


Yup... I was doing lighting one time at an event area. Giant, I mean GIANT damn parking lot. Cones up, I'm wrangling a large glass street lighting lens. Heavy and awkward, no cars for 100's of feet. Nothing! and this guy decides to walk right under my lift on the way into the building. 

I threw wire nuts at him, he's like:
"Careful don't drop anything on me.. You'll be in trouble"

"And you'll be dead so who really loses that one?!"

Some people have no sense of self preservation


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

It happens here with both pedestrians and bicycles. They'll be within 10' of death and not even acknowledge that someone else is in the area doing something that could kill them in under a second. SMH as a younin would say.


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## Fist of lightning (Aug 15, 2019)

FishinElectrcian said:


> Fist of lightning said:
> 
> 
> > catsparky1 said:
> ...


I love this Hahahah I will keep spare wire. It’s on you to drop on these mindless idiots that walk under my bucket . 

I usually just yell at them and say you have miles of room I would hate to drop a tool on your car .. they usual move when I say that .

But I like the wirenutt idea .aswell


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Carry a dozen cones.


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Fist of lightning said:


> I deal with this all the time people drive through our cone set up .
> 
> Or they will have miles of room to drive and decide to park right next to our truck .


Similar situation the other day. Cones PLUS tape, boom lift in the work area, lots of parking spots, and they just had to park right beside the tape. Told them the different outcomes.
Nothing goes wrong and your car is okay.
Something goes wrong and your car gets damaged. 
Since I informed you, I'm not responsible.

They moved.


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Just don't barricade off the only shaded parking spots in FL and you'll be ok. We don't care how far it is from the door, we care about the temp of the car when we come out of the store.


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## electricbysullivan (Aug 16, 2013)

https://6abc.com/traffic/tractor-trailer-hits-bucket-truck;-worker-critically-injured/270912/


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## Fist of lightning (Aug 15, 2019)

electricbysullivan said:


> https://6abc.com/traffic/tractor-trailer-hits-bucket-truck;-worker-critically-injured/270912/


Camden is such a nice area I had the pleasure of working their not to long ago .


Sorry to hear about this worker


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