Incident date: 2021-10-20
NAICS industry code: 561730

An employee set up an aerial lift with two outriggers positioned on a road and the other two on an embankment. The employee raised the aerial lift approximately 45-50 feet high to prepare to trim a tree when the embankment gave way and caused one of the lift's legs to slide. The lift fell over and the employee landed on the ground outside of the basket, resulting in compression back fractures at the L1 and L4 vertebrae and damage to the L1, L3, and L4 vertebrae that required hospitalization. The employee was wearing a harness that was attached to the lift.

Hazard classification:
code_event: title: Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet
code_source: title: Aerial lifts, scissor lifts-except truck-mounted
code_nature: title: Fractures
code_body: title: Lumbar region
severity: moderate