Insulated bucket trucks were created in an effort to help protect workers from electrocution. This applies to linemen who may be working on utility lines such as telephone poles or transformers etc. These jobs have the added danger of not only being located in high places, but also working near extremely high voltage lines. So it was necessary to create something that could further protect these workers and reduce the risk of electric shock.

There are three main aspects of a insulated dump truck which can provide protection against electric shock. These are the most important components to maintain and meet the standards defined by ANSI:

cube liner – This will protect the portion completely inside the liner, such as a standing person. Once the electricity touches the linings, it will become ineffective for anything inside the lining.

Insulating section of the upper arm – This will prevent the flow of electricity from the tip of the pen only going through the elbow of the pen.

lower feather insert – This piece will serve as an insulation section between the elbow and the chassis of the truck.

A common misconception is that the rubber on your utility truck tires will provide impact protection. This is false as they were not built to provide electrical insulation. Dirt and salt that build up on the tire tread can act as conductors of electricity. Your body is a better conductor of electricity, so you should never touch a bucket truck that is in contact with power lines, even if it is operating with wooden controls. These are some effects of an electric current in the body:

freezing current – 5-25ma – can cause an involuntary muscle spasm

knockout stream – 25-100ma – may lose consciousness and stop breathing

nerve block current – 100-200ma – your heart could stop and you would almost certainly need CPR

frying current – more than 200 ma – this will literally cook the part of the body that the current came into contact with. Death is almost always instantaneous if the path of the current is through the chest.

It is a good idea to always keep these factors in mind when working around electricity. Also, you need to consider the humidity of your current environment, as well as atmospheric electricity, such as lightning. You should never be working on a bucket truck, near power lines or not, if there is a thunderstorm.

We hope this article has helped you better understand what an insulated bucket truck is and why workers can benefit from it. Please note that you should only operate or use an insulated bucket truck if you have received approved training. It is not intended to be a substitute for OSHA or ANSI standards, so again, make sure you have the proper training and certifications, where applicable, before use.