Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts such as articulated boom lifts, scissor lifts and boom lifts which use an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These machinery allows employees to get up high into previously inaccessible areas. In some ways, these kinds of machinery have made construction much safer and easier, although, the overall safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers which can inadvertently cause severe injury or even death to unaware operators.
Falls
Typically, falls can take place when workers are unable to correctly secure the lift platform or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can happen when a worker on the platform acts unsuitably and participates in an activity such as climbing the guard rails to be able to gain added height. As well, mishaps could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being properly secured.
At times workers could fall when the lift's base is struck accidentally by a heavy thing. During this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, thus causing the employee to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly 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 could occur in any kind of lift. Since 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 an incline of some type, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position can cause the equipment to tip over.