Aerial Manlift Hazards
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like articulated boom lifts, scissor lifts and boom lifts which utilize an articulated boom or a series of linked, folding supports. These machinery allows employees to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In certain ways, these machinery have made construction much safer and easier, however, the general safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that could accidentally cause severe injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Usually, falls could take place when employees are unable to correctly secure the lift platform or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can take place when a worker on the platform acts wrongly and participates in an activity like for instance climbing the guard rails to gain added height. Furthermore, mishaps could be caused if the operator on the ground causes the equipment to move in an unexpected motion before the employee being correctly secured.
Lots of workers also fall because the base of their machinery is accidentally struck by some other heavy thing. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, hence causing the employee to be suddenly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has catastrophic outcome.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs can take place in any type of lift, but are more common in articulated boom lifts. As boom lifts could move both vertically and horizontally, they are capable of changing the machine's overall center of gravity. Thus, if the lift is parked on a slope of some kind or over loaded, completely extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could cause the machine to tip over.