Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like boom lifts, articulated boom lifts and scissor lifts which use an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These machinery enables workers to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In certain ways, these equipment have made construction a lot safer and easier, however, the general safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which could accidentally lead to serious injury or even death to drivers who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift often happens when employees cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can occur when someone on the platform acts inappropriately and partakes in an activity like for example climbing the guard rails to gain extra height. Also, accidents could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion before the employee being correctly secured.
Sometimes workers could fall when the lift's base is struck inadvertently by a heavy thing. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, therefore causing the employee to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this hazardous action has terrible outcome.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily prone to tipping over. Tip-overs could take place in any kind of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. Since boom lifts are able to move both horizontally and vertically, they could change the machine's overall center of gravity. Hence, if the lift is over loaded or parked on a slope of some sort, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position can cause the machine to tip over.