Dummy demonstration

The dangers of not wearing a full body harness are graphically demonstrated in a new safety video released by an industry group in the UK.

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) video features a live demonstration of a crash test dummy fitted to a modified Skyjack boom which shows the effects of driving over a low-lying obstacle.

Tim Whiteman, IPAF's managing director, says the video is a vivid illustration of why operators should wear harnesses on boom-type platforms.

"The industry must prevent unnecessary deaths where people are catapulted from booms."

The 'Only dummies don't wear harnesses on booms' video shows a 80 kilogram dummy not wearing a safety harness and the consequences of the catapult and jolting effects as the boom goes over an obstacle.

The two-and-a-half-minute video highlights the need to be trained to operate a boom platform. The operator in the video moves the boom over a series of slight inclines. The effect of the equipment shaking is dramatic.

While the supplier modified the cage for the demonstration, the video illustrates how easily and violently a person would be shaken around and thrown from the platform without a harness.

The video can be downloaded from the Publications/Film section of www.ipaf.com