Electric line workers' ingress and egress to aerial buckets: design features to reduce risk of slip or fall

ABSTRACTThe objective was to investigate how different design features of an aerial bucket could reduce electric line workers' risk of a fall or slip when entering and exiting aerial buckets. Three design features were evaluated: a step inside the bucket, the number of external steps (one or two) and a handlebar. Heights of a worker's waist above the bucket's rim, force on the bucket rim and electromyographic (EMG) activity of upper and lower extremity muscles were measured. Sixteen line workers were tested. An inside step lowered the worker's waist above the rim, decreased body weight force on the bucket rim and reduced EMG activity of the triceps. One external step decreased the EMG activity of the rectus femoris. A handlebar allows for a more secure three points of contact. These design features in an aerial bucket may lower the risk of a worker falling out of an aerial bucket.