Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts such as articulated boom lifts, scissor lifts and boom lifts which utilize an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These equipment allows workers to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In some ways, these equipment have made construction a lot safer and easier, however, the overall safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which could inadvertently cause severe injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift normally happens when employees fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness or cannot secure the harness to the lift. Falls could occur when a worker on the platform acts inappropriately and takes part in an activity like for example climbing the guard rails to gain added height. Moreover, accidents can be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion prior to the employee being properly secured.
Many employees also fall because the base of their machinery is accidentally struck by some other heavy thing. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, hence causing the employee to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this dangerous action has terrible results.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs could take place in any kind of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. As boom lifts could move both vertically and horizontally, they are capable of changing the equipment's overall center of gravity. Thus, if the lift is over loaded or parked on a slope of some sort, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could cause the equipment to tip over.