Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Project (FACE)

MA FACE 

Occupational Fatality Report

Municipal Electrician Dies after Falling out of an

Aerial Lift Truck’s Raised Bucket after It Was 

Struck by a Semi-Tractor Trailer – Massachusetts

Release Date: April 15, 2014 Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Investigation: # 12-MA-013-01 Occupational Health Surveillance Program

SUMMARY

On June 19, 2012 a 63-year-old male municipal signal operator/electrician (victim) was fatally 

injured when he fell out of a vehicle-mounted aerial lift’s raised bucket. The victim and one coworker were at a four-way intersection replacing a traffic signal bulb. The victim was inside the 

raised bucket accessing the cantilevered traffic signal when a tractor-trailer driving through the 

intersection struck the raised bucket. The victim was ejected out of the bucket and fell 

approximately 17 feet to the roadway below. A call was placed for Emergency Medical Services 

(EMS) by the driver of the tractor-trailer. Within minutes EMS and the local police arrived at the 

incident location and the victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced 

dead. 

Contributing factors identified in this investigation included: no fall protection used when 

working from a raised aerial lift bucket; positioning of the aerial lift truck that allowed vehicles 

to pass under the raised bucket; and improper work zone set up including inadequate quantity and 

positioning of temporary traffic control devices. 

The Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that to prevent similar occurrences in the future, 

municipalities should:

 Provide and ensure that fall protection is used when working from an aerial lift truck’s 

raised bucket/platform;

 Ensure that when performing work in roadways that work zones are set up, at a 

minimum, in accordance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 

(MUTCD), Part 6, developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal 

Highway Administration;

 Ensure that employees’ exposure to moving traffic is minimized when working in and 

around roadways by developing temporary traffic control plans, which never allow 

traffic to pass underneath raised aerial lift buckets/platforms;

 Provide and ensure that employees working along roadways wear the appropriate 

American National Standard Institute (ANSI) compliant high visibility safety apparel;
12MA013

Page 2

 Provide work zone safety training for all employees who will be required to complete 

tasks while in proximity to roadways;

 Ensure that each department develops, implements, and enforces a comprehensive 

health and safety program that includes hazard recognition and avoidance of unsafe 

conditions; and

 Provide work environments that, at a minimum, meet all relevant Occupational Safety 

and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and industry accepted standards of 

practice.

In addition, manufacturers of aerial lifts and employers should:

 Consider using contrasting colors and installing strobe lights along the booms of aerial 

lifts.

INTRODUCTION

On June 19, 2012, the Massachusetts FACE Program was alerted by the local media that earlier 

that same day a city employee had died from injuries sustained when he fell out of an aerial lift 

truck’s elevated bucket when the bucket was struck by a tractor-trailer. An investigation was 

initiated and on August 23, 2012, the Massachusetts FACE Program and a representative from 

the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (DLS) traveled to the city and met with 

representatives from the municipal police department to discuss the incident. Photographs were 

taken of the aerial lift truck and incident location.

EMPLOYER

The employer is a municipal police department for a Massachusetts city with more than 80,000 

residents. The department employed two people in the signal division, the victim and a coworker. Their main task was to maintain the traffic signals in the city. The city’s signal division 

employees typically work 8 hours per day, starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday. The signal division employees are routinely on call. 

WRITTEN SAFETY PROGRAMS AND TRAINING

At the time of the incident, the department’s signal division did not have a written safety and 

health program. Fall protection, including a body harness and lanyard, was available for the 

aerial lift operator and was kept with the truck. Annual health and safety training was not 

routinely performed. During the site visit, the department reported that they were in the process 

of developing procedures for signal division employees for the safe completion of tasks such as 

accessing cantilevered traffic signals.

VICTIM

The victim was a 63-year-old male municipal worker and had been employed as a signal 

operator/electrician by the police department for approximately 30 years. The victim had a 

current state-issued hoisting license and a journeyman electrician license. Signal division 

employees, including the victim, were part of a collective bargaining unit.
12MA013

Page 3

INCIDENT LOCATION

The incident occurred at a four-way intersection located in a primarily residential section of the 

city. The intersection is made up of a main roadway and side street that crosses the main 

roadway (Figure 1). The area around the intersection has no significant grade, is relatively 

straight and is designated as a 30 mile-per-hour speed zone. The main roadway has one travel 

lane for each direction. The primary travel direction of the main roadway is north and south, but 

at the incident location the roadway runs east and west. There are multiple painted roadway 

markings in the area. The main roadway’s two travel lanes are separated by solid double yellow 

painted lines and there are painted fog lines at the main roadway edges. The side street runs 

north and south and does not have many roadway markings. At the intersection, each travel lane 

has painted white traffic stop lines and there are two crosswalks; one across the main roadway 

and one across the side street. The incident location is a heavily traveled area with houses on the 

south side of the intersection and a school and an undeveloped lot on the north side.

The intersection has two cantilevered traffic signal structures, one of which was being accessed 

at the time of the incident. The base of the cantilevered structure that was being accessed is 

located beyond the shoulder of the roadway on a grassy area. The vertical pole section of the 

base reaches a height of approximately 18 feet (Figure 2). The cantilevered section is fastened to 

the top of the vertical pole and extends out over the eastbound lane of the main roadway. The 

end of the cantilevered section over the intersection has two traffic signals attached. The 

distance between the bottom of these traffic signals and the roadway below is 15 feet seven 

inches. At the time of the incident the traffic signals were operating on a regular cycle. 

VEHICLES

The aerial lift truck’s chassis and aerial lift body were both manufactured in 2009 and were white 

in color (Figure 3). The truck was equipped with dual rear wheels and had a gross vehicle weight 

rating of 5,897 pounds. The truck’s telescoping and articulating boom platform had a height 

rating of 35 feet. There were two sets of controls for the movement of the truck’s boom/bucket. 

One control was mounted to the bucket itself and the other control was mounted on the truck’s 

body at the ground level along with an emergency stop. The vehicle was equipped with blue 

light-emitting-diode (LED) strobe lights located at the front and rear of the truck and two rotating 

orange beacon lights at the base of the boom. There was a fall protection anchor point located at 

the truck’s bucket along with a danger decal warning of the fall hazard and the need to use fall 

protection (Figure 4). A body harness and lanyard were stored in the aerial lift truck. 

The vehicle that struck the aerial lift truck’s bucket was a four axle, 14-wheel semi-tractor trailer 

manufactured in 1999. The tractor trailer had a gross vehicle weight rating of 54,000 pounds. 

The enclosed trailer section of the semi-tractor trailer had a height of 13 feet 6 inches. 

INVESTIGATION

It was daylight at the time of the incident. The temperature was 69 degrees Fahrenheit and it was 

overcast with no precipitation and a light wind. The victim and his co-worker arrived at the 

intersection at about 1:30 – 1:45 p.m. to perform maintenance on the cantilevered traffic signal. 
12MA013

Page 4

They each drove a vehicle to the intersection: the aerial lift truck and a van. Once at the 

intersection, the aerial lift truck was stopped just east of the intersection and parked at the edge of 

the main roadway’s eastbound travel lane facing east. The van was parked at the edge of the side 

street to the south of the intersection and was facing south. 

Two traffic cones were positioned behind the aerial lift truck to shift eastbound traffic to the 

north. A third traffic cone was positioned behind the van. All of the traffic cones were 28 inches 

tall and orange with two white reflective stripes around the tops of the cones. The aerial lift truck

had its blue LED strobe lights and two rotating orange beacon lights on while stopped. The van 

was equipped with a blue light signal bar that was also on. 

At the time of the incident, the victim was not wearing high-visibility safety apparel or personal 

fall protection equipment. The victim climbed into the truck’s bucket and raised and extended 

the boom and bucket out over the active roadway’s eastbound travel lane. The truck’s boom was 

extended at about a 45 degree angle to the outer traffic signal. The bottom of the bucket was 

raised approximately twelve feet above the roadway. At this same time, the co-worker was 

standing behind the aerial lift truck with his back to the oncoming traffic to assist the victim in 

the maintenance task. 

As the victim was working on the traffic signal a semi-tractor trailer was traveling east on the 

main roadway in the eastbound lane approaching the intersection and had a green traffic light at 

the intersection. According to the police report, the tractor trailer driver reported that he noticed

the aerial lift truck parked on the side of the roadway, but did not notice the raised bucket. The 

tractor trailer driver veered to the left of the roadway’s center line to keep away from the parked 

truck. As the tractor trailer entered the intersection the cab passed underneath and cleared the 

raised bucket. When the semi’s trailer section reached the raised bucket, the trailer impacted the 

bucket causing the bucket to bounce up. The victim was ejected out of the bucket and fell 

approximately 16 feet to the asphalt roadway below.

The driver of the semi-tractor trailer felt the impact, then noticed the victim in the roadway and 

pulled the semi-tractor trailer over. The driver then immediately placed a call for Emergency 

Medical Services (EMS) and exited the cab to assist the victim. Within minutes EMS and the 

local police arrived at the incident location, and the victim was transported to a local hospital and 

then to a trauma center at a larger hospital in a neighboring state where he was pronounced dead

that same day.

At the time of the site visit, the police department was developing procedures for accessing 

traffic signals. Reportedly, these procedures were going to include wearing personal fall 

protection equipment when positioned inside a raised aerial lift truck’s bucket, new signage to 

warn motorists of work in the roadway, and the development of task work plans that must be 

approved 24 hours before the scheduled work. The work plans will include work zone set up and 

positioning of equipment. 
12MA013

Page 5

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Occupational injuries and fatalities are often the result of one or more contributing factors or key 

events in a larger sequence of events that ultimately result in the injury or fatality. The 

Massachusetts FACE team identified the following contributing factors in this incident.

 No fall protection used when working from a raised aerial lift. 

 Positioning of the aerial lift truck that allowed vehicles to pass under the raised bucket.

 Improper work zone design and set up, including inadequate positioning and quantity of

temporary traffic control devices to warn motorists of the work occurring within the roadway.

CAUSE OF DEATH

The medical examiner listed the cause of death as blunt trauma of head and torso. 

RECOMMENDATIONS/DISCUSSION 

Recommendation #1: Municipalities should provide and ensure that fall protection is used 

when working from an aerial lift truck’s raised bucket/platform.

Discussion: In this incident, the victim was working from a raised aerial lift truck without fall 

protection. The provided fall protection was stored in the truck, but the use of it was not 

enforced. Fall protection should be used whenever working from an aerial lift truck’s raised 

platform.1 It is the employers responsibility to ensure fall protection is available when needed, 

and is being worn and used properly by employees. Employers should also provide training on 

when and how to properly use the provided fall protection. There are two main types of fall 

protection systems that can be used with aerial lift trucks. 

1) Restraint Systems. A restraint system is the preferred method of protection since it allows the 

worker to move around the bucket and will prevent the worker from falling out of the bucket. 

The components of a restraint system include either a body belt or a harness (harness is 

recommended) connected to a lanyard. The lanyard must not be longer than two feet and the 

other end of the lanyard must be attached to an anchor point. Aerial lift truck anchor points are 

usually located on either the truck’s bucket or boom. In this case, the anchor point was located 

on the truck’s boom.

2) Fall Arrest Systems. A fall arrest system is intended to stop a falling worker before they strike 

a lower level and must not allow the worker to fall more than six feet. Fall arrest systems require 

the use of a body harness (body belts should never be used with a fall arrest system). The body 

harness connects to a lanyard and the other end of the lanyard connects to an anchor point. Not 

all aerial lift trucks are designed for the use of fall arrest systems. Therefore always check with 

the aerial lift truck manufacturer to see which fall protection system should be used. 
12MA013

Page 6

Recommendation #2: Municipalities should ensure that when performing work in 

roadways that work zones are set up, at a minimum, in accordance 

with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), Part 

6, developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal 

Highway Administration.

Discussion: Employees who are required to complete tasks in and around roadways face multiple 

hazards, one of which is being struck by oncoming motor vehicles. In this case, two orange 

traffic cones were placed behind the aerial lift truck to warn approaching vehicles of the work 

being performed within the roadway. This was not an adequate traffic control measure for this 

task. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 

(MUTCD) sets forth the basic principles that govern the design and usage of traffic control signs 

and devices.2 Part 6 of the MUTCD provides specific work zone designs to be used during 

roadway construction, maintenance, and utility operations. To help ensure employee safety while 

performing these and other roadway operations, employers should follow the MUTCD minimum 

standards and guidelines in Part 6. These standards and guidelines will help determine the 

appropriate number and locations of traffic control devices, such as warning signs, cones, and 

lights.

When performing work in a roadway that will occupy a location for a few minutes up to one 

hour, employers should follow the short-duration roadway work application outlined in the 

MUTCD, Part 6G, Types of Temporary Traffic Control Zone Activities. Because most shortduration roadway work usually involves maintenance and utility based operations, the MUTCD 

recommends traffic control devices that have greater mobility. The MUTCD specifically states 

that worker safety during short-duration roadway work should not be compromised by using 

fewer traffic control devices.2 

The MUTCD acknowledges that during short-duration work, it can sometimes take longer to set 

up the work zone properly. Therefore, the MUTCD suggests that appropriately colored or 

marked vehicles with high-intensity rotating, flashing, oscillating, or strobe lighting may be used 

in place of signs. In addition, the MUTCD suggests that these vehicles may be augmented with 

signs or arrow panels.2 

Recommendation #3: Municipalities should ensure that employees’ exposure to moving 

traffic is minimized when working in and around roadways by 

developing temporary traffic control plans, including never allowing 

traffic to pass underneath raised aerial lift buckets/platforms. 

Discussion: To ensure the safety of workers whose jobs bring them in and around roadways, 

employers should develop temporary traffic control plans (TCP) that outline the temporary traffic 

control devices to be used, how they should be set up during roadway work, and proper 

placement of any work equipment and vehicles.3 A TCP will not only help ensure worker safety, 

it will also help ensure motorist and pedestrian safety as well. TCPs should be based on the 
12MA013

Page 7

MUTCD as discussed in Recommendation #2. An individual TCP should be developed for each 

major highway and street project. 

For short duration relatively common tasks, such as accessing cantilevered traffic signals, a 

general TCP should be developed and modified when appropriate. A general TCP for accessing 

cantilevered traffic signals could include, but not be limited to: 

 Assessing the work site upon arrival to determine the best location for work vehicles and 

mobile equipment and the appropriate number and locations of traffic control devices, 

such as warning signs and lights based on the MUTCD;

 Ensuring that placement and use of vehicle-mounted aerial lifts does not allow roadway 

traffic to pass underneath the raised aerial lift bucket/platform at any time;

 Determining if assistance in the form of traffic details or flaggers would be beneficial;

 Wearing the appropriate high-visibility safety apparel at all times;

 Facing and watching out for approaching traffic; and

 Spending as little time as possible in and around the roadway.

In this case, because large trucks, including semi-tractor trailers, routinely traveled this relatively 

narrow two lane roadway, assistance in the form of a traffic detail or a flagger should have been

considered as a part of the TCP.

Recommendation #4: Municipalities should provide and ensure that employees working 

along roadways wear the appropriate American National Standard 

Institute (ANSI) compliant high visibility safety apparel.

Discussion: Employees that routinely work in and along roadways can face many hazards while 

working. One hazard is routinely being in close proximity to motor vehicle traffic, usually with 

no barriers between them and the moving vehicles. In this case, the clothing being worn by the 

victim reportedly did not contain reflective material. Although wearing high-visibility safety 

apparel might not have prevented this specific incident, the victim was working in and around the 

roadway and high-visibility safety apparel should have been worn. 

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) states that all workers exposed to 

the risks of moving roadway traffic or construction equipment should wear high-visibility safety 

apparel.2 The MUTCD refers to the American National Standard Institute’s (ANSI) standard for 

High–Visibility Safety Apparel (ANSI/ISEA 107-2004).4 This standard, published by the 

International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), recommends specific types of reflective 

equipment while working in or near moving vehicles. This standard specifies three classes of 

garments based on the workers’ activities. These classes are:

 Class 3 garments provide the highest level of visibility for workers who face serious 

hazards with high task loads that require attention away from their work where traffic 

exceeds 50 miles per hour (mph). 
12MA013

Page 8

 Class 2 garments are intended for use where greater visibility is necessary during 

inclement weather conditions and when activities occur near roadways where traffic 

speeds exceed 25 mph. 

 Class 1 garments (not for use along highways and streets) are intended for use in 

activities that permit the wearer's full and undivided attention to approaching traffic. 

There should be ample separation of the worker from traffic, which should be traveling 

no faster than 25 miles per hour. 

The ANSI standard also states that a competent person designated by the employer should be 

responsible for selecting the appropriate class of garment for the workers. A competent person, 

as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is a person who, 

through training or knowledge, is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the 

surroundings or working conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, 

and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. In addition, 

employers should ensure that workers are wearing the high-visibility safety apparel provided. 

Recommendation #5: Municipalities should provide work zone safety training for all 

employees who will be required to complete tasks while in proximity 

to roadways.

Discussion: Work zone safety training for municipal workers should include, but not be limited 

to, properly selecting and setting up the most effective work zone configuration, how to work 

near motor vehicle traffic in a way that will minimize exposure to moving vehicles, as well as the 

proper techniques for warning device usage, placement, and retrieval. Training municipal 

workers in roadway work zone safety should also include short-and long-duration work zone set 

up and design and appropriate personal protective equipment. This training would not only 

provide municipal workers with the knowledge to better protect themselves so tasks can be 

completed safely, but will also help keep pedestrians and motorists in the community safe as 

well. All trainings should be updated annually and documented. The documentation should 

include who provided the training and their qualifications, the content of the training, workers 

who were trained, and the assessments of workers’ comprehension of the training. Employers 

should ensure that the trainer who provides training is qualified through education and/or 

experience to conduct training. 

Recommendation #6: Municipalities should develop, implement, and enforce a 

comprehensive health and safety program that includes hazard 

recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions. 

Discussion: In this case, the police department’s signal division did not have a comprehensive 

health and safety program. A comprehensive written health and safety program for the signal 

division should address common hazards municipal employees face, such as electrical, fall from 

heights and work zone hazards. Hazard recognition and the avoidance of unsafe conditions is 

another area that the health and safety program should address. When developing the health and 

safety plan, the employer with employee participation should conduct a job safety analysis 

(JSA).5 
12MA013

Page 9

A JSA is a technique to systematically evaluate job tasks to ensure the tasks are performed safely. 

It involves identifying all potential hazards and hazardous situations that could occur when 

performing tasks by focusing on the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools and the 

work environment. JSAs should be routinely performed to identify uncontrolled hazards by 

breaking down the tasks to be performed into steps, including the operation of any equipment 

and use of tools to complete the task. Each step should be evaluated to identify the hazards or 

potential hazards. Once hazards are identified, appropriate preventive measures should be 

implemented to eliminate or control these hazards.

OSHA has developed a webpage that addresses how to implement health and safety programs 

(www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/safetyhealth/evaluation.html). This webpage includes a link to the 

OSHA draft proposed safety and health program rule and to other useful links. 

In addition, there is a Roadway Safety Awareness Program available in English, Spanish and 

Portuguese at www.workzonesafety.org/training/courses_programs/rsa_program. This program 

Roadway Safety + provides an overview of common hazards in highway and road construction 

and prevention measures that can be incorporated in to a health and safety program. 

Recommendation #7: Municipalities should provide work environments that, at a 

minimum, meet all relevant Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA) regulations and industry accepted standards 

of practice.

Discussion: The federal Occupational Safety and Health Act requires private sector employers to 

provide workplaces that are free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious 

physical harm to employees. While private sector employees are covered by federal OSHA, 

public sector employees in Massachusetts are not. The Massachusetts Department of Labor 

Standards (DLS), in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 149 Section 6, is 

charged with inspecting public sector workplaces in Massachusetts and determining what 

procedures and practices are required to protect workers.6 As a matter of policy, DLS references 

OSHA Standards as well as other consensus standards such as those developed by the American 

National Standards Institute (ANSI), in determining whether proper procedures are being 

followed to protect workers. In this case, adhering to the following OSHA standards may have 

prevented this incident: 29 CFR 1926.453, Aerial lifts, and 29 CFR 1926.202, Barricades, which 

refers to the MUTCD for design and usage of traffic control signs and devices and work zone 

designs. 1,7

DLS has enhanced efforts to improve health and safety conditions for municipal workers by 

increasing incident inspections and voluntary technical assistance for municipalities. During an 

incident inspection if conditions are observed that could cause worker injury or illness, a written 

warning will be issued by DLS with an order to correct the identified hazards. If the identified 

hazards are not corrected within the timeframe specified in the written warning, then monetary 

civil penalties per condition may be issued by DLS to the employer.

6
12MA013

Page 10

Recommendation #8: Manufacturers of aerial lifts and employers should consider using 

contrasting colors and installing strobe lights along the booms of 

aerial lifts.

Discussion: The operator of the tractor-trailer indicated that he did observe the aerial lift truck in 

the roadway and the truck’s bumper strobe lights, but it appears that that he might not have 

noticed the extended boom and the worker in the bucket.

Aerial lift trucks are often used in and around roadways, which can place the truck in close 

proximity to moving vehicles. To help make aerial lift trucks, including their booms and 

buckets, as visible as possible, consideration should be given to adding contrasting colors, which 

could also be florescent and/or reflective, to both the boom, bucket and to some areas of the 

truck. In addition, adding some light-emitting-diode (LED) strobe lights to sections of the boom, 

bucket and truck might increase both the visibility of the truck and the actual location of workers 

when they are working from the truck’s raised bucket.

REFERENCES

1. Code of Federal Regulations [1996]. 29 CFR 1926.453. Aerial lifts. Washington DC: U.S. 

Government Printing Office, Office of the Federal Register.

2. U.S. DOT 2009. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), 2009 Edition, 

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. 

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/. Date accessed: 12/16/2013.

3. NIOSH 2001. Building Safer Highway Work Zones: Measures to Prevent Worker Injuries 

from Vehicles and Equipment, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2001-128.

4. ANSI/ISEA [2004]. American National Standard for high-visibility safety apparel. New 

York, NY: American National Standards Institute, ANSI/ISEA 107 -2004.

5. U.S. DOL 2002. Job Hazard Analysis. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 

OSHA Publication No. OSHA-3071, 2002 (revised). 

6. General Laws of Massachusetts, Title XXI, Labor and Industries, Chapter 149: Section 6. 

Safety devices and means to prevent accidents and diseases generally; fees for structural 

painting.

7. Code of Federal Regulations [2002]. 29 CFR 1926.202. Barricades. Washington DC: U.S. 

Government Printing Office, Office of the Federal Register.
12MA013 

Page 11

Figure 1 – Aerial view of the intersection 

Figure 2 – Street view of the intersection looking east on the main roadway 

Approximate location of the 

aerial lift truck

X

Traffic signal being accessed 

at the time of the incident

Direction the semi-tractor 

trailer was traveling
12MA013

Page 12

Figure 3 – Aerial lift truck involved in the incident

Figure 4 – Aerial lift truck’s danger decals
12MA013

Page 13

Figure 5 – Incident location after the incident showing the traffic signal, 

the aerial lift’s raised buck and the semi-tractor trailer