COM BREAKDOWN BTWN MAINT TECHNICIANS AND PREFLTING FO RESULTS IN INJURY TO RAMP PERSON DUE TO HYD SYS ACTIVATION WHILE NOSEWHEEL AND TOW BAR WERE NOT ALIGNED WITH THE STEERING TILLER.

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OUR FLT WAS DELAYED IN LAS WAITING FOR A CAPT COCKPIT OXYGEN MASK TO ARRIVE AND BE INSTALLED. THE FLT CREW ARRIVED AT THE ACFT TO FIND CONTRACT MAINT ALREADY REMOVING THE INOP OXYGEN SYS ON THE CAPT'S SIDE. I ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND BRIEFLY TALKED TO THE MAINT PERSON ABOUT THE ACFT STATUS. HE RE-VERIFIED THAT THEY WERE JUST STANDING BY FOR THE PART TO ARRIVE. I ASKED IF IT WAS OK TO START PERFORMING MY PREFLT CHKS AND SET-UP; TO WHICH HE SAID 'YES' AND THEN LEFT THE COCKPIT TO GIVE ME ROOM. I LOOKED AROUND THE COCKPIT TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY MAINT STICKERS OR ITEMS LABELED 'DO NOT TOUCH' BEFORE I STARTED FLICKING SWITCHES. I SAW NOTHING EXCEPT THE EMPTY CAPT'S OXYGEN MASK HOLDER. I PERFORMED THE OVERHEAD FLOW AND WHEN I TURNED ON THE HYD PUMPS; I HEARD AN ALARMING AND UNFAMILIAR 'DRAGGING' SOUND. I PROCEEDED DOWN TO THE RAMP TO PERFORM MY WALKAROUND AND NOTICED SEVERAL GND CREW PERSONNEL TALKING TO EACH OTHER. AS I APCHED THEM; I NOTICED ONE PERSON HAD OIL SMUDGES ON HIS SHINS AND WAS LIMPING IN CIRCLES RUBBING HIS SHINS. I ASKED HIM WHAT HAPPENED AND IF HE WAS OK. HE SAID THE NOSEWHEEL WHICH WAS ATTACHED TO THE TOW BAR WAS TURNED AT A 45 DEG ANGLE BY MAINT AND WHEN I TURNED ON THE HYD PUMPS IT ROTATED TO CTR AND HIT HIM IN THE SHINS. THE TOW BAR WAS NOT HOOKED TO THE TUG AND THE STEERING LOCKOUT PIN APPARENTLY WAS NOT INSTALLED. THE PERSON INSISTED HE WAS OK AND STARTED LAUGHING IT OFF WITH OTHER RAMP AGENTS. ABOUT THIS TIME THE CONTRACT MAINT PERSON WALKED OVER FROM THE RAMP AND REALIZED WHAT HAPPENED. HE APCHED ME AND APOLOGIZED TO ME NUMEROUS TIMES FOR NOT INFORMING ME OF THE NOSEWHEEL DEFLECTION BEFORE I TURNED ON THE HYD PUMPS. HE EXPLAINED THAT IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE CAPT'S OXYGEN SYS; HE HAD TO MOVE THE NOSEWHEEL TILLER IN THE COCKPIT. HE DIDN'T THINK I WOULD BE USING THE HYD SWITCHES AND FORGOT ABOUT THE NOSEWHEEL DEFLECTION ONCE THE OXYGEN SYS WAS REMOVED. EVERYONE SEEMED OK; AND THE MAINT PERSON WAS VERY APOLOGETIC CONSIDERING THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. THE NEW OXYGEN SYS WAS INSTALLED AND THE ACFT DEPARTED TO OAK. CAUSE: POOR COMS BTWN THE CONTRACT MAINT PERSON; GND CREW; AND MYSELF. FAILURE TO INSTALL THE STEERING LOCKOUT PIN FOR NOSEWHEEL MOVEMENT. SUGGESTIONS: COM; AND MORE COM. THIS IS THE LEADING CULPRIT IN ALMOST ALL OF MY RPTS. SOMEBODY ASSUMES ONE THING WITHOUT CONFIRMING THAT ASSUMPTION WITH THE INDIVIDUAL IT AFFECTS. SIMPLY INFORMING ME OF THE NOSEWHEEL BEING TURNED WOULD HAVE PREVENTED ME FROM TURNING THE PUMPS ON. INSTALLING THE LOCKOUT PIN AS NECESSARY DURING THIS PROC WOULD ALSO HAVE PREVENTED THIS EVENT. FINALLY; I WILL PERFORM A MORE INTENSE PRELIMINARY PREFLT OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE ACFT UPON ARR AT THE RAMP.