Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts such as boom lifts, articulated boom lifts and scissor lifts that use an articulated boom or a series of folding, linked supports. These machinery enables employees to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In certain ways, these machinery have made construction much easier and safer, although, the overall safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of dangers which can inadvertently cause severe injury or even death to unaware drivers.
Falls
Falls from a man lift often happens when employees cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can take place when someone on the platform acts unsuitably and partakes in an activity like for instance climbing the guard rails in order to gain extra height. In addition, mishaps can be caused if the operator on the ground causes the machine to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being properly secured.
Sometimes employees could fall when the base of the lift is struck accidentally by a heavy thing. In 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 results.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are prone to tipping over. Tip overs are more common in articulated boom lifts, but can take place in any type of lift. Because boom lifts can move both horizontally and vertically, they could change the overall center of gravity of the machine. Hence, if the lift is parked on an incline of some kind or over loaded, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position can lead to a tip-over situation.