Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like articulated boom lifts, scissor lifts and boom lifts which use an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These equipment enables employees to get up high into previously inaccessible areas. In certain ways, these kinds of equipment have made construction a lot safer and easier, however, the general safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which could inadvertently lead to serious injury or even death to unaware operators.
Falls
Falls from a man lift usually occurs when workers fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness or cannot secure the harness to the lift. Falls could happen when a worker on the platform acts unsuitably and participates in an activity like climbing the guard rails to gain added height. As well, mishaps could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion before the worker being properly secured.
Numerous workers also fall because the base of their machinery is inadvertently struck by some other heavy object. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, thus causing the worker to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has catastrophic results.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily prone to tipping over. Tip-overs could happen in any kind of lift, but are more frequent in articulated boom lifts. Because boom lifts are able to move both vertically and horizontally, they could change the overall center of gravity of the machinery. Therefore, if the lift is over loaded or parked on a slope of some type, extending the boom to full length when it is in the wrong position can result in a tip-over situation.