Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial manlifts are equipments which utilize either a series of linked, folding supports, such as a boom lift or an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift. These industrial pieces of equipment enable workers to access hard-to-reach areas. In some ways, these machinery have made construction a lot safer and easier, however, the general safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which could inadvertently lead to severe injury or even death to unaware drivers.
Falls
Normally, falls can happen when employees are unable to wear a safety harness or are unable to correctly secure the lift platform. Falls can happen when a worker on the platform acts unsuitably and participates in an activity such as climbing the guard rails in order to gain extra height. Additionally, mishaps could be caused if the ground-based operator 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 accidentally by a heavy object. During 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
Boom lifts are susceptible to tipping over. Tip overs are more frequent in articulated boom lifts, but can happen in any type of lift. As boom lifts can move both vertically and horizontally, they are capable of changing the machinery's overall center of gravity. Thus, if the lift is over loaded or parked on an incline of some type, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could cause the machine to tip over.