Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are machinery which utilize either a series of folding, linked supports, such as a boom lift or an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift. These industrial kinds of machinery enable workers to access hard-to-reach areas. In certain ways, these machinery have made construction much easier and safer, although, the overall safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that can accidentally lead to severe injury or even death to unaware drivers.
Falls
Normally, falls could take place when workers are unable to wear a safety harness or are unable to correctly secure the lift platform. Falls can happen when somebody on the platform acts unsuitably and participates in an activity such as climbing the guard rails to gain extra height. Furthermore, accidents could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being properly secured.
Lots of employees also fall because the base of their machine is accidentally struck by some other 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 abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly 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 can happen in any kind of lift. Because boom lifts can move both horizontally and vertically, they can change the overall center of gravity of the equipment. Hence, if the lift is over loaded or parked on a slope of some type, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position can result in a tip-over situation.