Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts such as boom lifts, articulated boom lifts and scissor lifts that utilize an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These machinery enables workers to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In some ways, these machines have made construction a lot safer and easier, however, the overall safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that could inadvertently result in serious injury or even death to drivers who are unaware.
Falls
Normally, falls could occur when workers are unable to correctly secure the lift platform or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls could happen when someone on the platform acts wrongly and takes part in an activity like climbing the guard rails to be able to gain additional height. Moreover, accidents could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion before the worker being properly secured.
A lot of employees also fall because the base of their machine 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 suddenly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has catastrophic 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. Since boom lifts are able to move both horizontally and vertically, they are capable of changing the overall center of gravity of the machinery. Hence, if the lift is parked on an incline of some sort or over loaded, extending the boom to full length when it is in the wrong position could cause the machinery to tip over.