Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial manlifts are equipments that utilize either a series of folding, linked supports, like a boom lift or an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift. These industrial types of equipment allow employees to get in touch with hard-to-reach places. In certain ways, these equipment have made construction much safer and easier, however, the overall safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which could accidentally result in severe injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift usually happens when employees cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls could occur when a worker on the platform acts wrongly and partakes in an activity like for instance climbing the guard rails to gain added height. Furthermore, accidents could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion before the worker being properly secured.
Many employees also fall because the base of their machinery is accidentally struck by some other heavy object. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, hence causing the worker 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 frequent in articulated boom lifts, but can happen in any kind of lift. Since boom lifts are able to move both vertically and horizontally, they are capable of changing the machine's overall center of gravity. Thus, if the lift is parked on a slope of some kind or over loaded, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position could lead to a tip-over situation.