Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are equipments that utilize either a series of linked, folding supports, like an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift or a boom lift. These industrial kinds of machine enable employees to access hard-to-reach places. In certain ways, these types of machines have made construction a lot easier and safer, although, the overall safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which can accidentally lead to serious injury or even death to unaware drivers.
Falls
Falls from a man lift normally happens when workers cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can happen when somebody on the platform acts wrongly and partakes in an activity like climbing the guard rails to gain extra height. Also, mishaps can be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machine to move in an unexpected motion before the employee being properly secured.
A lot of workers also fall because the base of their machinery is inadvertently struck by some other heavy thing. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, hence causing the worker to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this dangerous action has catastrophic results.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are susceptible to tipping over. Tip overs are more frequent in articulated boom lifts, but can occur in any kind of lift. Since boom lifts can move both horizontally and vertically, they are capable of changing the machinery's overall center of gravity. Therefore, if the lift is over loaded or parked on a slope of some sort, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position can cause the equipment to tip over.