Safety Watch - Aerial Lift Safety
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safety watch | by Amy Materson
Fatal
falls
Know when
Tear along perforated edges
The accident: A welder was
preparing to survey and weld
joints at the top of a steel frame
that had just been erected. Using
a scissor lift platform to access the
work area, he extended the lift
approximately 12 feet. While in
an elevated position, the welder
moved the scissor lift forward,
causing the wheels to roll into a
depression surrounding a nearby
concrete pit under construction.
The scissor lift toppled over and
ejected the welder headfirst into
the pit. He died on the site from
a skull fracture, contusions and
laceration of the brain.
The bottom line: A post-accident investigation determined the
contractor had rented an articulating hydraulic boom lift for crews
to use while performing elevated
work. Even though the boom lift
was available, the worker chose to
use the scissor lift instead. Once
the welder reached the correct
height, he then moved the lift
forward while still on the raised
Illustration by Don Lomax
to move – or
when not to
move – an
elevated
aerial lift.
platform, causing the wheels to
enter the depression around the
pit. There were no guards, barriers or other controls to prevent
the lift from falling into the pit,
and there were no spotters used.
The employer had a safety program in place, and the worker was
certified and experienced in using
both articulating boom lifts and
scissor lifts.
Easily avoidable
Although some accidents can’t
easily be prevented, this one
didn’t have to happen. Performing the proper hazard assessment
and control implementation would
have kept this worker alive. Prior
to using an aerial lift, take the following steps:
1.Hazard assessment. Perform
a thorough walk-through of the
site and take note of any depressions, pits or other obstacles.
2.Implement controls. If you’ll
be working around hazardous
areas, erect guards or barriers to
prevent the lift from accessing a
EW1112
Information for this Safety Watch came from an accident report,
OSHA, the Center for Disease Control’s NIOSH Fatality Assessment
and Control Evaluation program and Tony Groat, executive vice
dangerous location.
3.Enlist a spotter. Any time you
move a piece of equipment,
have a spotter handy to alert
you to potential hazards.
When raised, the lift’s center
of gravity is higher, allowing the
lift to more easily fall over if the
wheels find an uneven surface.
Every lift will have recommendations from the manufacturer on
when it is and isn’t safe to drive
an elevated lift. Know the restrictions that must be addressed prior
to operation. Tony Groat, executive vice president, AWPT, recommends traveling to the work area
in the lowered position. “Traveling at higher speeds over uneven
surfaces will cause impact at the
platform to be magnified considerably,” he says. “This will cause
instability and danger to the occupants.”
For a fact sheet on using
aerial lifts, visit the OSHA website:
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/aerial-lifts-factsheet.pdf
president of American Work Platform Training (awpt.org). It is meant
for general information only.
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Date of safety talk:
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