Emergency procedures and incident response
Domain 6 tests immediate response to power-line contact, fire, tipping, load loss, and hydraulic failure. Answers should protect life first, then equipment, then the scene.
Power lines
Assume any contacted line is energized. The operator stays in the cab, warns others away, and calls the utility and emergency services. Keep personnel at least the required clearance; for lines up to 350 kV that is 20 ft. If fire forces exit, jump clear with feet together, shuffle away, and do not touch the crane and ground at the same time. Never try to lower the boom off a live line.
Other emergencies
- Fire: shut down if safe, use the extinguisher, evacuate, call emergency services.
- Tipping or structural failure: do not jump; brace, stay in the seat, secure the area.
- Load loss: stop, barricade, check for injuries, do not re-enter the fall zone.
- Hydraulic failure: stop the function, lower the load only per the manufacturer's controlled procedure, and barricade.
Worked example
A boom contacts a 12 kV line; arcing starts and the rigger runs toward the crane. The operator stays inside, uses the radio or horn to order everyone back, and calls 911 and the utility. The operator does not touch metal or leave until the utility confirms de-energization, unless fire forces the jump-and-shuffle exit. Reasoning: the ground gradient and the crane can be energized; touching both is the hazard.
Traps
Touching the crane to "help"; approaching the operator; trying to move the crane clear; assuming rubber tires insulate; failing to call the utility; not preserving the scene for investigation.