Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are machines that 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 machine allow employees to get in touch with hard-to-reach areas. In some ways, these equipment have made construction a lot safer and easier, although, the overall safety which comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has implemented a new list of dangers that could inadvertently lead to severe injury or even death to operators who are unaware.
Falls
Normally, falls could happen when employees are unable to correctly secure the lift platform or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can happen when a worker on the platform acts wrongly and participates in an activity such as climbing the guard rails to be able to gain extra height. As well, mishaps can be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion prior to the worker being correctly secured.
Sometimes workers could fall when the base of the lift is struck inadvertently by a heavy object. During this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, thus causing the worker to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this dangerous action has catastrophic outcome.
Tip-Overs
Sadly, boom lifts are easily prone to tipping over. Tip-overs can happen in any type of lift, but are more frequent in articulated boom lifts. As boom lifts can move both vertically and horizontally, they can change the equipment's overall center of gravity. Therefore, if the lift is parked on a slope of some sort or over loaded, totally extending the boom when it is in the wrong position could cause the equipment to tip over.