Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are equipments that utilize either a series of folding, linked supports, like a boom lift or an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift. These industrial pieces of machinery enable employees to access hard-to-reach areas. In some ways, these types of equipment have made construction much safer and easier, however, the overall safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of dangers which could accidentally cause serious injury or even death to drivers who are unaware.
Falls
Typically, falls can occur when employees are unable to wear a safety harness or are unable to correctly secure the lift platform. Falls can occur when somebody on the platform acts unsuitably and takes part in an activity like for instance climbing the guard rails to be able to gain additional height. As well, accidents could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being correctly secured.
Many employees also fall because the base of their machine is accidentally struck by some other heavy thing. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, thus causing the employee to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this hazardous action has terrible results.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs can occur in any kind of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. As boom lifts could move both vertically and horizontally, they could change the equipment's overall center of gravity. Hence, if the lift is parked on a slope of some sort or over loaded, extending the boom to full length when it is in the wrong position could lead to a tip-over situation.