Truck Mounted Lifting Device
- Equipment
Innovation
A innovative maintenance technician devised a truck-mounted lifting device to assist crews when they remove traffic barrels from the roadway. Before the truck-mounted lifting device, workers would have to set up a work area consisting of approximately 50 barrels, weighing about 70 pounds each. Clearing a work zone meant disassembling barrels and tossing the barrel and its base up into the back of a truck; this could cause injuries and damage to the workers' muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
With the truck-mounted lifting device, a boom is installed onto the back of a truck that moves left or right depending on the side of the truck that the barrels are on. It is attached to an electric winch that when attached to the barrel by a worker, mechanically lifts the barrel onto the bed of the truck. This truck mounted lifting device not only protects WSDOT’s crews from injury, it also increases safety and efficiency.
Benefit and Implementation
WSDOT discovered that performing the same movements repeatedly, like bending or lifting, can slowly damage muscles, tendons and ligaments. Over time, this can result in very painful injuries for highway workers. To assist crews, and to significantly reduce sprains and strains, a WSDOT Maintenance Technician, devised a truck-mounted lifting device that automates traffic barrel pickup operations.
A moveable boom attached to an electric winch is installed onto the truck. When attached to the barrel by the worker, it mechanically lifts the barrel onto the bed of the truck.
- Reduces sprains and strains by 50%.
- Lessens lost work-time due to injuries and potential claims.
- Increases worker safety by removing crews from the path of oncoming traffic.
