Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like scissor lifts, boom lifts, and articulated booms lifts which utilize an articulated boom or a series of folding, linked supports. These machinery allows workers to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In some ways, these equipment have made construction much easier and safer, although, the general safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that could inadvertently result in severe injury or even death to drivers who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift often occurs when employees cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls could take place when somebody on the platform acts unsuitably and participates in an activity like climbing the guard rails to gain extra height. What's more, accidents can be caused if the ground-based operator causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion before the worker being correctly secured.
A lot of employees also fall because the base of their machinery is inadvertently struck by some other heavy object. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, thus causing the worker to be suddenly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this dangerous action has terrible results.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are prone to tipping over. Tip overs are more frequent in articulated boom lifts, but could take place in any type of lift. Since boom lifts could move both horizontally and vertically, they can change the overall center of gravity of the equipment. Thus, if the lift is parked on an incline of some type or over loaded, completely extending the boom when it is in the wrong position can cause the machine to tip over.