Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are machines that use either a series of linked, folding supports, such as a scissor lift or a boom lift or an articulated boom lift. These industrial types of equipment enable employees to get in touch with hard-to-reach areas. In certain ways, these machinery have made construction much easier and safer, although, the general safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that can inadvertently result in serious injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Falls from a man lift normally occurs when employees fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness or cannot secure the harness to the lift. Falls can occur when somebody on the platform acts wrongly and partakes in an activity like for example climbing the guard rails in order to gain added height. What's more, accidents could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being correctly secured.
Many workers also fall because the base of their machinery is inadvertently struck by some other heavy object. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, hence causing the worker to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this dangerous action has terrible results.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are prone to tipping over. Tip overs are more frequent in articulated boom lifts, but could happen in any type of lift. Because boom lifts are able to move both vertically and horizontally, they could change the machine's overall center of gravity. Therefore, if the lift is parked on an incline of some kind or over loaded, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could result in a tip-over situation.