Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial manlifts are equipments that use either a series of folding, linked supports, such as an articulated boom lift or a scissor lift or a boom lift. These industrial types of machinery allow workers to get in touch with hard-to-reach places. 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 applied a new list of hazards that could accidentally result in serious injury or even death to unaware operators.
Falls
Normally, falls could happen when workers are unable to correctly secure the lift platform or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can occur when somebody on the platform acts inappropriately and partakes in an activity like climbing the guard rails to gain extra height. What's more, accidents could be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machinery to move in an unexpected motion before the worker being correctly secured.
Many workers also fall because the base of their machine is inadvertently struck by some other heavy object. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the lift's length, thus causing the employee to be abruptly catapulted off of the platform. Clearly this hazardous action has catastrophic outcome.
Tip-Overs
Boom lifts are susceptible to tipping over. Tip overs are more common in articulated boom lifts, but could happen in any kind of lift. As boom lifts could move both vertically and horizontally, they could change the overall center of gravity of the machinery. Hence, if the lift is parked on a slope of some type or over loaded, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position can cause the machinery to tip over.