Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts such as scissor lifts, boom lifts, and articulated booms lifts that use an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These machinery enables employees to get up high into previously inaccessible areas. In certain ways, these machines have made construction a lot safer and easier, although, the overall safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of dangers which can accidentally cause severe injury or even death to unaware drivers.
Falls
Typically, falls can happen when employees are unable to wear a safety harness or are unable to correctly secure the lift platform. Falls can take place when a worker on the platform acts inappropriately and partakes in an activity like for example climbing the guard rails to gain extra height. As well, accidents could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion before the employee being correctly secured.
Sometimes employees could 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. Obviously this dangerous action has terrible outcome.
Tip-Overs
Unfortunately, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs could take place in any kind of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. As boom lifts are able to move both vertically and horizontally, they are capable of changing the overall center of gravity of the machinery. Thus, if the lift is over loaded or parked on a slope of some sort, completely extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could result in a tip-over situation.