Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts such as scissor lifts, boom lifts, and articulated booms lifts which utilize an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These machines enables employees to get up high into previously inaccessible areas. In certain ways, these types of equipment have made construction a lot easier and safer, although, the general safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards that could inadvertently result in serious injury or even death to unaware operators.
Falls
Typically, falls could happen when workers are unable to wear a safety harness or are unable to correctly secure the lift platform. Falls can happen when somebody on the platform acts unsuitably and takes part in an activity such as climbing the guard rails to be able to gain added height. What's more, accidents could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion before the employee being properly secured.
Many employees also fall because the base of their machinery is inadvertently struck by some other 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. Obviously this hazardous action has terrible results.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are prone to tipping over. Tip overs are more common in articulated boom lifts, but could take place in any type of lift. Because boom lifts can move both vertically and horizontally, they could change the overall center of gravity of the machinery. Therefore, if the lift is parked on an incline of some kind or over loaded, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position can lead to a tip-over situation.