Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like scissor lifts, boom lifts, and articulated booms lifts that utilize an articulated boom or a series of folding, linked supports. These machines allows workers to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In certain ways, these machinery have made construction a lot easier and safer, however, the general safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of hazards which could accidentally lead to serious injury or even death to drivers who are unaware.
Falls
Usually, falls could happen when employees are unable to wear a safety harness or are unable to correctly secure the lift platform. Falls could occur when someone on the platform acts inappropriately and takes part in an activity like for example climbing the guard rails to gain additional height. Also, mishaps could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being correctly secured.
Sometimes workers could fall when the base of the lift is struck inadvertently by a heavy object. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, hence causing the worker to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has catastrophic results.
Tip-Overs
Unfortunately, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs can happen in any kind of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. Because boom lifts can move both vertically and horizontally, they can change the machine's overall center of gravity. Thus, if the lift is parked on a slope of some sort or over loaded, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position could result in a tip-over situation.