Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like boom lifts, articulated boom lifts and scissor lifts which use an articulated boom or a series of folding, linked supports. These machines allows employees to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In certain ways, these machinery have made construction a lot easier and safer, although, the general safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that can accidentally result in serious injury or even death to drivers who are unaware.
Falls
Normally, falls can happen when employees are unable to correctly secure the lift platform or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls could take place when a worker on the platform acts unsuitably and partakes in an activity such as climbing the guard rails in order to gain additional height. As well, accidents could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion before the employee being properly secured.
A lot of workers also fall because the base of their machine is inadvertently struck by some other heavy object. During this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, hence causing the employee to be suddenly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has catastrophic outcome.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily prone to tipping over. Tip-overs can take place 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 are capable of changing the machinery's overall center of gravity. Therefore, if the lift is parked on an incline of some kind or over loaded, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could lead to a tip-over situation.