Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial manlifts are equipments that use either a series of folding, linked supports, like a boom lift or an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift. These industrial kinds of machinery enable employees to get in touch with hard-to-reach areas. In some ways, these machinery have made construction much easier and safer, however, the overall safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which can accidentally cause severe injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Typically, falls can happen when workers are unable to wear a safety harness or are unable to correctly secure the lift platform. Falls could occur when a worker on the platform acts wrongly and takes part in an activity like for example climbing the guard rails to gain extra height. Furthermore, mishaps can be caused if the operator on the ground 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 thing. During this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, hence causing the employee to be suddenly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this dangerous action has terrible results.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are susceptible to tipping over. Tip overs are more common in articulated boom lifts, but can happen in any type of lift. Because boom lifts can move both horizontally and vertically, they are capable of changing the overall center of gravity of the machine. Thus, if the lift is over loaded or parked on an incline of some sort, completely extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could result in a tip-over situation.