Site Safety and Traffic Control for Aerial Work

Purpose

Make sure no one gets hurt by power, falls, vehicles or weather. Aerial crews work below energized lines, off the ground and next to traffic, often all at once. These controls go in place every day at every site, before anyone leaves the ground.

When to Do It

• At the start of every shift, and again whenever the site, the crew or the conditions change (typical practice; follow the employer safety program).
• Before any aerial step from AE-05 Framing Poles through AE-12 Labeling, Inspection and As-Builts.
• Previous step: AE-03 Make-Ready Execution and Coordination. Next step: AE-05 Framing Poles.

Roles

• Foreman: runs the tailboard, assigns roles, owns the emergency plan and stops work when conditions are unsafe.
• Lineworker or climber: inspects the pole and their own fall protection before climbing or loading the pole.
• Bucket truck operator: inspects the lift, sets outriggers and operates within the lift’s ratings.
• Flagger or traffic control crew: sets and runs the work zone.
• Ground worker: keeps the drop zone clear and watches for hazards the crew aloft cannot see.

Most employer safety programs give everyone on the crew the authority to stop work. Confirm yours at the tailboard.

Equipment and Materials

• Bucket truck with current inspection records, and outrigger pads.
• Fall protection equipment rated for the task, plus climbing gear where poles are climbed.
• Voltage detector rated for the work.
• Traffic control devices for the work zone.
• First aid kit, fire extinguisher and a charged phone or radio.
• Pole-top and bucket rescue equipment, as the employer’s rescue plan requires.
• High-visibility safety apparel that meets Part 6 of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), hard hats, eye protection and gloves per the employer safety program.

Safety

Procedure

Hold Points

Records to Keep

• Signed tailboard or job briefing sheet with the emergency plan, the rescue plan and the names of trained rescuers.
• Daily lift inspection record.
• Traffic control layout used and any permit conditions.
• Poles rejected at inspection, reported to the owner.
• Any incident, near miss or stop-work event, reported per the employer’s program.

Print a blank tailboard sheet for the briefing and the crew sign-in.

Common Mistakes

• Skipping the tailboard on short jobs. Short jobs still have power lines and traffic.
• Assuming the strand is dead. Test it every time.
• Skipping the streetlight or power ground wire because it is “just a ground”. These are among the items most likely to be energized, which is why 29 CFR 1910.268(m)(3) says to treat them as energized.
• Running to grab a shocked coworker or touching the truck. Untrained rescuers become the second victim.
• Outriggers on soft ground or without pads. Trucks tip over when a pad sinks.
• Climbing a pole that failed the sound test because the crew wanted to finish the section.
• Working through a storm to make up schedule.

Standards and References

• 29 CFR 1910.268 § (m)(3) for telecommunications field work, including testing pole metal for voltage.
• 29 CFR 1910.268 § (n)(2)–(n)(4) for inspecting and testing poles before climbing, and for unsafe poles.
• OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 for construction work, which 29 CFR 1910.268 excludes (1910.268(a)(2)(i)). Your employer’s safety program says how to comply.
• 29 CFR 1910.67 for vehicle-mounted aerial lifts.
• The employer emergency and rescue plan, and the power owner’s emergency procedures.
• MUTCD Part 6 for temporary traffic control.
• NESC (IEEE C2) for work rules near supply lines.
• The employer safety program and lift manufacturer instructions.

On the Map

• Supply Space: the upper part of the pole that only qualified electrical workers enter.
• Communication Worker Safety Zone: the separation that keeps communication crews and hardware away from power.

Related Tools

Not applicable: no FAHMY tool covers site safety or traffic control.