2 Escape Injury When Bucket Truck Tips Over In North Austin

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Two workers escaped injury when the bucket truck they were in tipped over on Wednesday.

Rescue team members from the Austin Fire Department reported to 8127 Mesa Dr. amid reports the truck from a sign company had toppled over. But both men were able to walk away from the incident on their own steam, fire officials said via Twitter.

It's unclear what caused the vehicle to tip over, but the dangers of so-called bucket trucks are known. According to thebuckettrucks.weebly.com, working in or around bucket trucks is dangerous. Not taking necessary precautions can result in injury and even death when operating such aerial lift vehicles, which are an average of 40 feet in height and up to 60 feet tall.

Several industries, including those in the utility, cable and Internet industries utilize these sorts of vehicles. But even the slightest mishap can result in injury or death, according to the website. Among the dangers posed by these vehicles, according to the website:

• Falling Out of the Bucket: Even when workers are strapped in, it is possible they can lose their balance and fall, especially when the lift is moving into position. "All too often," the website notes, "the cause of fall is sheer carelessness."
• Electrocution: Electrocution is another significant danger when working near bucket trucks, with the highest numbers of such incident involving employees who are electrocuted while trimming trees too close to electrical lines.
• Traffic Accidents: Because many aerial jobs are performed next to busy roads, work vehicle are often obscured by motorists who may not see them in time to prevent a collision. At times, bucket truck operators disregard the need to install warning devices alerting to the truck's presence, resulting in collisions.
• Tip Overs: Bucket trucks are equipped with features designed to prevent tipping, such as outriggers that serve as the vehicle’s foundation during the lift operation and a tilt meter that is used to measure the truck’s inclination perpendicular to the operating surface. But the misuse and failure to implement the vehicle’s tilt protection features could cause the truck to tip over. The most common causes of tipping over are moving the vehicle while the lift is extended, overloading the bucket and deploying the lift on a steep slope.

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>>> Photo via Austin Fire Department