Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial manlifts are equipments which use either a series of folding, linked supports, such as an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift or a boom lift. These industrial kinds of machinery allow employees to access hard-to-reach areas. In some ways, these equipment have made construction a lot safer and easier, however, the general safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers which could inadvertently cause serious injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift normally occurs when workers cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can happen when somebody on the platform acts unsuitably and participates in an activity like for instance climbing the guard rails to gain additional height. Moreover, accidents could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion before the employee being properly secured.
Sometimes employees may fall when the lift's base is struck inadvertently by a heavy object. 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. Clearly this dangerous action has terrible outcome.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily prone to tipping over. Tip-overs can happen in any kind of lift, but are more frequent in articulated boom lifts. Since boom lifts could move both vertically and horizontally, they could change the equipment's overall center of gravity. Thus, if the lift is over loaded or parked on a slope of some kind, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position can result in a tip-over situation.