Hindsight or not, that situation would have rung some major alarm bells in my head. 70%....at the gate......come on!
Well, I've been there, safeguarding such a procedure. Nothing is impossible, these days we'd call it carrying out a 'dynamic risk assessment'. Lots to think about, brake failure, FOD, people, blast. Normally, it's actually quicker to reposition for a ground run but that just wasn't possible in my case - onset of night restrictions for ground runs. All worked out well but only by a lot of wise heads getting together beforehand and strictly following the plan.
Headgear on stands. Well, many companies are now issuing 'beanie caps' a sort of hardened baseball cap to protect workers from head injuries. I think it's pretty much standard amongst the fuelling companies at some UK airports. I don't like caps with a pronounced peak as they restrict the view and lead to a loss of situational awareness.
TheOddOne