Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like scissor lifts, boom lifts, and articulated booms lifts which use an articulated boom or a series of folding, linked supports. These machines enables employees to get up high into previously inaccessible areas. In certain ways, these types of machines have made construction much safer and easier, however, the general safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of dangers which could accidentally result in serious injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift often occurs when employees cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can take place when somebody on the platform acts inappropriately and takes part in an activity such as climbing the guard rails in order to gain extra height. Furthermore, accidents can be caused if the ground-based operator causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion prior to the employee being properly secured.
Sometimes workers could fall when the base of the lift is struck accidentally by a heavy object. During this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, thus causing the employee to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has catastrophic results.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs can happen in any kind of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. Since boom lifts can move both vertically and horizontally, they could change the machinery's overall center of gravity. Hence, if the lift is parked on a slope of some type or over loaded, completely extending the boom when it is in the wrong position can cause the machinery to tip over.