Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are machines that use either a series of linked, folding supports, like a scissor lift or a boom lift or an articulated boom lift. These industrial kinds of machinery allow workers to get in touch with hard-to-reach places. In certain ways, these kinds of equipment have made construction a lot easier and safer, however, the overall safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that could accidentally lead to severe injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift usually occurs when employees fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness or cannot secure the harness to the lift. Falls could occur when somebody on the platform acts wrongly and participates in an activity like climbing the guard rails to gain added height. Moreover, mishaps could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion prior to the employee being correctly secured.
Sometimes employees can fall when the lift's base is struck inadvertently by a heavy object. 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. Clearly this dangerous action has terrible outcome.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are susceptible to tipping over. Tip overs are more frequent in articulated boom lifts, but could happen in any kind of lift. Since boom lifts can move both horizontally and vertically, they are capable of changing the equipment's overall center of gravity. Hence, if the lift is over loaded or parked on an incline of some sort, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could result in a tip-over situation.