Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-155 - Safety standards for construction work › Part L - CRANES, RIGGING, AND PERSONNEL LIFTING › Section 296-155-55305 - Lifting personnel near electrical power lines

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) It is recognized that lifting personnel
				where the crane/derrick or platform can become electrified from electric power
				lines is an extremely hazardous practice. It is required to perform the lift so
				there is no possibility of the crane/derrick, load line, or personnel platform
				becoming a conductive path. You must not use cranes/derricks to lift personnel
				under electric power lines if any combination of boom, personnel platform, load
				line, and machine component will enter the prohibited zone. (See Table 10.)
				Lifting personnel near electric lines is not allowed unless there is no less
				hazardous way to do the job. The 3 situations to consider, and take steps to
				establish, when lifting personnel near electric power lines are:
Table 10
Condition
Situation
A
Power lines are deenergized and grounded as
						  shown in Figure 9. (This is the safest and preferred condition.)
B
Power lines are energized with the
						  crane/derrick outside the prohibited zone, but there is a potential for the
						  crane/derrick or platform being energized as shown in Figure 10.
C
Power lines are energized with the
						  crane/derrick inside the prohibited zone, and there is a possibility that the
						  crane/derrick or platform can become energized as shown in Figure 11. (Lifting
						  personnel in this condition is prohibited.)
(2)
Condition A.
This is the preferred condition under which a
				personnel lift can be performed. The hazard of injury or death due to
				electrocution has been removed. You must take the following steps when lifting
				personnel in a Condition A situation:
(a) The
				power company or owner of the power lines must deenergize the lines.
(b) The power lines must be visibly grounded
				to avoid the possibility of electrical feedback.
(c) A qualified representative of the owner
				of the power lines or a designated representative of the electric utility must
				be on the site to verify that steps (a) and (b) of this subsection have been
				completed and that the power lines are not energized.
(d) You must install durable signs at the
				operator's station and on the outside of the crane warning that electrocution
				or serious bodily injury may occur unless the minimum clearance of 20 feet is
				maintained between the crane/derrick and platform and power lines up to 350 kV
				or 50 feet of a power line that is over 350 kV. You must post these signs at
				the crane/derrick operating station, on the outside of the crane/derrick, and
				inside the personnel platform.
(e)
				If proximity warning devices, insulated links, or boom cages are used, they
				must not be a substitute for any of the requirements of this section. If these
				devices are used, you must instruct the crane/derrick operator, ground crew,
				and platform occupants on the limitations of the devices, operating condition
				requirements of the devices, and the devices' testing requirements prescribed
				by the device manufacturer.