Tag Archives: scissor lifts

General Safety Issues

Aerial Lifts Indoors: Best Safety Practices and Other Operating Tips

Aerial lifts, scissor lifts and other aerial work platforms (AWPs) are used for outdoor work activities, but are also important for indoor use as well, including maintenance, repair, construction, and much more. Indoor aerial lift and scissor lift operations have their own unique set of hazards. What are some of the best safety practices to consider when using an AWP indoors? We went right to the source: AerialLiftCertification.com CEO Tom Wilkerson. Mr. Wilkerson’s training firms offer OSHA compliant training for scissor lifts, aerial lifts, forklifts, pallet jacks, and other industrial equipment. Here’s Mr. Wilkerson’s take on important indoor aerial lift use.

One of the most common misconceptions about aerial lifts is that they’re strictly used for outdoor work. In fact, many indoor tasks require aerial lifts, scissor lifts, and other AWPs. Here are just a few of the jobs that require indoor aerial lifts and scissor lifts:

  • Maintenance
  • Surveillance (for security at concerts, sporting events, and more)
  • Construction
  • Repair
  • Electrical work
  • And much more

Most AWPs used indoors are scissor lifts, which typically have a maximum elevation of 40-50 feet. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), scissor lifts are considered scaffolding, not actually aerial lifts. OSHA standards 1926.451 and 1926.453 were updated a while back to reflect this critical change in thinking.

The most critical part of this declaration is directly involved with worker safety; since scissor lifts are technically classified as a type of scaffolding, they don’t have the same fall protection safety requirements that accompany aerial lifts. Specifically, this means that scissor lifts used for indoor work do not require the worker to be tied to the equipment.

Despite less fall protection requirements for scissor lifts, every indoor lift operator should be aware of certain hazards. Plus, OSHA still requires every employer to ensure all scissor lift workers are properly trained to meet compliance standards.

Here are some best safety practices to keep in mind while using AWPs (for the purposes of this article, that means scissor lifts) indoors:

  • Mind your overhead hazards. Indoor lighting, scaffolding structures, fire safety sprinklers, ceiling fans, HVAC ductwork and more – there is no shortage of overhead hazards to contend with while working on scissor lifts indoors. With that in mind…
  • Properly assess hazards before work. Check with your site safety supervisor or manager to review any obvious hazards, including potential overhead dangers. A sound safety plan uses actual experience from other lift operators to provide a solid foundation of jobsite knowledge – this is very important in maintaining a safe workplace, and it’s just one of the many things covered by our OSHA compliant safety training!
  • Ensure proper stability. All too often, scissor lift operators working indoors focus on everything above the ground. But no indoor scissor lift is possible without a stable, sure-footed setting. Follow your equipment’s recommended stability requirements, and always choose a flat, firm surface before working. For more information, check out OSHA’s helpful Scissor Lift Hazard Alert resource.
  • Follow a solid maintenance plan. Operator errors are responsible for many scissor lift accidents indoors, but never overlook potential equipment malfunctions, too. Many of these scissor lift issues can be avoided with a regular maintenance plan. Maintenance is critically important for both scissor lifts and aerial lifts!
  • Keep up with your training. AerialLiftCertification.com provides OSHA compliant training for any company that needs expert, affordable help with their compliance and safety program. The cost of non-compliance includes heavy financial penalties, possible company shutdowns, and employee injuries or deaths. Training can help prevent these and many other negative consequences. Sign up with our training programs, and enjoy a safer workplace today!

About the Author

Tom Wilkerson is workplace safety leader in the forklift and aerial lift industries. The CEO and owner of CertifyMe.net (which includes AerialLiftCertification.com), Mr. Wilkerson’s training firms specialize in providing affordable, OSHA compliant, online accessible training modules to help companies with training gaps and compliance requirements. AerialLiftCertification.com is used by companies across the United States for all aspects of aerial work platform (AWP) operations. With a broad, wide-ranging background in industrial equipment safety and OSHA compliance, Mr. Wilkerson leverages his experience to help any company improve their safety profile – and more importantly, keep their employees safe from accidents and injuries. For more information, please visit CertifyMe.net or AerialLiftCertification.com.

 

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

FIVE SAFETY DO’S AND DON’Ts ABOUT SCISSOR LIFTS

“OSHA describes scissor lifts as machines that are “movable scaffolds.”  They can lift large, heavy loads that are well balanced, as well as employees, and are capable of moving them safely to and from high elevations.  There are several different safety requirements that apply to the maintenance and use of scissor lifts, because they are classified as heavy equipment.”  This is an excerpt from an article we published in August of this year.  Thankfully, a reader and friend from the United Kingdom has written an outstanding article that gives us a good perspective regarding safety and scissor lifts.  Please enjoy the following Guest Post:

5 Scissor Lift Safety Do’s and Don’ts

In operating heavy machineries it is important for the operators of these machines to be aware of the safety procedures and guidelines in order to avoid accidents and injuries. Safety should be the primary concern of operators when workers are doing their jobs using heavy machines. The time to finish jobs when following safety procedures will be longer but the risks will be lower and the chance of delay in the operation on account of accidents and injuries will be reduced. Also, the chances of lawsuits will be lower in cases of work related accidents and injuries if safety guidelines are followed strictly.

Colleges have been using aerial lifts for reasons other than their intended purpose. The most frequent use of scissor lifts is the filming of football practices to get an aerial view of college teams. This practice has been deemed unsafe because the person holding the camera might be blown over by a sudden gust of wind and there are no safety regulations and guidelines being followed to prevent that sort of thing.

A twenty year old has died because of the failure of university officials to set safety guidelines when using scissor lifts. Investigations were made by the university where the unfortunate incident happened and they found out after a few months after the incident that the policies of the university regarding the safety procedures and safeguards in using scissor lifts were not adequate to prevent accidents like the one that happened.  After that, other colleges have looked into their own policies when using machines such as these.  For the purpose of preventing accidents from happening when using scissor lifts here are 5 guidelines to follow.

1.       Use it for raised platform working, but don’t overload

Scissor lifts are just like any machine, they can perform the jobs needed from them but they also have a limit. Scissor lifts are primarily used for raising up things or people so they can do their tasks from an elevated platform. The weight of the things to be raised is a priority in safety because as the platform is raised, the base on which it is anchored becomes unstable as it goes higher. Once the platform becomes unstable outside forces like winds or a shake in the base will greatly affect the raised platform which can lead to accidents.

2.       Use it to transfer materials, but don’t rush

When transferring materials to high places it is always recommended to be sure and steady. As the adage goes “haste makes waste.” Caution should always be practiced when using heavy machinery and when dealing with machines that extend many feet above the ground.

3.       Use lanyards but follow the Ghostbusters’s rule (don’t cross the streams)

Lanyards are used as a safety option when operating machinery. It is attached to a worker’s wrist and in case the worker becomes incapacitated when operating the machine, the fall will enable the lanyard to pull the “kill switch” which is also attached to the lanyard and stop the machine from operating. However, another precaution should also be in place in order for the lanyards to be effective as a safety measure. Workers must make sure that their lanyards are not intertwined or are not crossing the streams as the safety precaution of lanyards will be compromised.

4.       Stay inside the guard rails, don’t over extend or stand on the rails

Persons who are tasked to be on the platform should always bear in mind that the guard rails are there for a reason. It is for their own protection to keep their bodies in the guard rail all the time. There are some circumstances and sometimes they cannot be avoided, that require a worker to reach out over the platform to perform a task. But one should be vigilant to not lean over or reach out too much to a point of over extending one’s self beyond the guardrails. Standing on the rails should also be avoided. The safety hazards of such act are innumerable and are subjected to every kind of outside forces that will cause a person to lose balance and fall. If there is an urgent need to go higher to perform a task it is better to raise up the platform itself rather than stand on the guard rails.

5.       Move the platform for different areas but not while the platform is extended.

When moving heavy machineries or any mechanical device for that matter, it is best to be cautious when transporting them from one place to another. The platform of the scissor lift should be brought back to its original place in the machine before moving the whole thing, just like when one would move a car or an oven, it is best to close the doors first so it won’t bump into other things while in transit. The same safety concept should be adopted when moving the platform of a scissor lift. In order to avoid accidents and injuries the extended platform should be lowered first before moving from one place to another.

In any job requiring the use of machines, especially heavy machinery it is very important to follow the safety guidelines while operating them. Operators should be strict in enforcing these guidelines to ensure a safe working environment for people using heavy machineries like scissor lifts. An unfortunate accident already happened because of the lack of safety standards in the use of scissor lifts outside of construction sites, like in colleges. The safety guidelines should be addressed by colleges when their students are using machineries like scissor lifts. There are standard safety guidelines to be followed strictly in order to avoid accidents when using scissor lifts.

We thank Allan Twillert, a Marketing Consultant that writes for Horizon Limited Platforms, a construction machine rental solution company in the United Kingdom.  For more information on Allan’s company, go to info@horizonplatformsco.uk.  It is an honor for us to hear from our friends in other countries who , like us, are very concerned about the safety of workers and students.

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

SCISSOR LIFTS SHOULD BE HANDLED WITH CARE!

2 Comments

OSHA describes scissory lifts as machines that are “movable scaffolds.”  They can lift large, heavy loads that are well balanced, as well as employees, and are capable of moving them safely to and from high elevations.  There are several different safety requirements that apply to the maintenance and use of scissor lifts, because they are classified as heavy equipment. 

OSHA issued a hazard alert about the dangers of using scissor lifts to film events and functions.  These machines are commonly used to film events and functions of colleges and high schools, such as athletic and band activities.  High winds or bad weather; overloading the equipment with heavy objects; removing the guardrails during operations; and driving the lift on eneven or unstable gound can cause devestating accidents.  The alert recommends precautions to reduce the risk of these hazards. 

A 20-year old University of Notre Dame student employee was killed during a football practice while filming the football team from a scissor lift that was blown over by high winds.  The worker raised the lift more than 39 feet into the air on a day in which winds exceeded 50 miles per hour.  After investigating the incident, the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the university $77,500, and cited it with the most serious safety violation allowable under Indiana law.  It was reported that the student employee was not trained well enough to properly operate the equipment.  Hazards can be further reduced by training workers on how to operate scissor lifts properly, making sure that the scissor lift has a guardrail system for fall protection, and operating and maintaining the lift according to the recommendations of the manufacturer.

Employers can minimize scissor lift hazards by establishing safe work practices, including inspecting them before use; safely moving, positioning, and stabilizing the lift; selecting safe work locations; and identifying weather conditions that might delay use.  Other key safety practices include putting the scissor lift on a firm level surface, setting brakes and stabilizing the lift before raising it, and maintaining a 10′ clearance from electrical power sources and overhead hazards such as tree branches. 

Although scissor lifts are not enclosed, they are required to obey the same safety standards as scaffolding to ensure that employees do not fall from the lift while in use.  Guard rails should be placed around the perimeter of the lift, slip guards, and a lock must be engaged on the entrance to the lift platform while the lift is in use.  It should also be designed with an emergency stop button, both on the lift platform and with controls at the bottom of the lift.  This will allow either the worker on the platform or the lift operator to stop the lift in case of an emergency.  There should also be emergency brakes on the wheels.

There is more guidance on the hazards and requirements for using scissor lifts on OSHA ‘s Scaffolding eTool and Safety and Health Topics page on Scaffolding.

Source: OSHA; eHow.com