Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts such as scissor lifts, boom lifts, and articulated booms lifts which use an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These machines enables workers to get up high into previously inaccessible areas. In certain ways, these machines have made construction a lot easier and safer, although, the general safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of hazards which could accidentally cause serious injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift often 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 someone on the platform acts unsuitably and participates in an activity such as climbing the guard rails to be able to gain added height. What's more, accidents can be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion prior to the employee being correctly secured.
Numerous employees also fall because the base of their machine is inadvertently struck by some other heavy thing. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, therefore causing the employee to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has catastrophic results.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are prone to tipping over. Tip overs are more common in articulated boom lifts, but could occur in any type of lift. Because boom lifts are able to move both horizontally and vertically, they could change the overall center of gravity of the equipment. Hence, if the lift is parked on a slope of some sort or over loaded, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position could cause the equipment to tip over.