Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are equipments that use either a series of linked, folding supports, such as a boom lift or an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift. These industrial pieces of machine allow employees to get in touch with hard-to-reach areas. In some ways, these equipment have made construction much easier and safer, although, the overall safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of hazards that can accidentally cause serious injury or even death to unaware drivers.
Falls
Falls from a man lift often happens when employees fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness or cannot secure the harness to the lift. Falls could take place when a worker on the platform acts unsuitably and partakes in an activity like climbing the guard rails in order to gain extra height. Moreover, accidents can be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being correctly secured.
Lots of employees also fall because the base of their machinery is inadvertently struck by some other 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 suddenly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this dangerous action has catastrophic outcome.
Tip-Overs
Unfortunately, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs could take place in any type of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. Since boom lifts can move both vertically and horizontally, they are capable of changing the equipment's overall center of gravity. Hence, if the lift is over loaded or parked on an incline of some type, completely extending the boom when it is in the wrong position can lead to a tip-over situation.