Ruptured Hose with Crews in the Platform

Order matters because several actions protect people who are not yet in danger.

1. Stop and secure: confirm both platform and ground controls are in neutral and the emergency stop is engaged so nothing moves unexpectedly if power returns.
2. Exclusion zone: clear the area under the boom and platform to at least the working length of the boom. The dominant risk in the first minutes is a sudden descent onto people on the ground, not the occupants, who are restrained in a bucket.
3. Occupants: confirm harnesses and lanyards are anchored to the manufacturer's anchor points, tell them to stay in the bucket and stay off the controls, and keep voice contact by radio or a relay since the intercom is out.
4. Diagnose before you improvise: check PTO engagement, pump pressure, master switch, and any circuit breaker or fuse at the turntable. A no-function condition with panel power often means a control circuit or interlock fault, and ground controls may still work if selected correctly.
5. Escalate: confirm the second aerial, notify the IC and safety officer, and start the manufacturer's emergency lowering procedure per the manual, hand pump or metering valve, only after the drop zone is clear. Do not send anyone up the boom or the ladder to reach a platform bucket.

Drift with unresponsive controls means a load-holding path is leaking: a ruptured hose or fitting on the lift circuit, a failed holding valve or check valve, or an internal leak past a cylinder seal. The pop and the mist point to a hose or fitting, which means system pressure is being dumped rather than held.

The practical consequences:

• Drift can accelerate. As fluid escapes and the valve seat or hose damage worsens, the rate of descent is not predictable. Keep everyone out from under, and do not let well-meaning crews stand beneath the bucket to catch it.
• Controlled lowering may still be possible through the emergency system if the descent circuit itself is intact; try it, but be ready for it not to hold.
• If drift is slow and the bucket is near the wall, the better outcome may be to let it land or to bring it against the building face to arrest the descent, provided that can be done without shock loading and the wall can take the contact. That decision belongs to the operator with the manual in hand, not to the IC.
• If the drift accelerates, clear the zone, let it come down, and treat it as a recovery rather than a rescue.

The aerial is out of service immediately. It gets a red tag or out-of-service placard, is removed from response, and does not return to service until the failed hose or fitting is replaced, the system is flushed and filtered, pressure tested, and function tested through the full range of motion by a qualified technician. Because the event involved a loss of load holding and a possible shock load, expect an inspection of the structural and hydraulic components, including nondestructive examination where the manufacturer or your inspection standard calls for it, before any lifting of personnel.

The documentation is part of the repair, not an afterthought: a work order describing the failure mode and the repair; the daily and post-incident inspection entries; a near-miss or injury report if anyone was exposed; notification to the chief and the safety officer; and confirmation that the aerial's inspection and load test records are current before it goes back in service. If the descent was arrested against the building, note that contact and have the affected sections inspected. Notify dispatch of the coverage gap and arrange a move-up.