Fall Arrest Characteristics of a Scissor Lift

Details

• Personal Author:
  Boehler B ; Harris JR ; Pan, Christopher S. ; Powers JR Jr.
• Description:
  Problem: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) data indicate 306 aerial lift fatalities between 1992-2003. Seventy-eight of these fatalities specifically involved scissor lifts. Members of standards committees have requested that NIOSH conduct research to determine the effects of safety-control practices related to using fall-protection systems for scissor lifts. Method: This research examined the structural and dynamic stability of a scissor lift subjected to fall arrest forces. This was accomplished by conducting drop tests from a scissor lift. Anchorage locations evaluated included manufacturer-supplied anchorage points on the scissor lift platform as well as mid-rail and top-rail locations. Results: Preliminary drop tests determined that a 2400 lb maximum arrest force (MAF) could be generated by dropping 169 lb through a fall height of 36" using Nystron rope as a lanyard. The scissor lift maintained structural and dynamic stability for all drop tests when fully extended and on an incline. Discussion: Anchoring a fall arrest system to either the mid-rail or top-rail is not a recommended practice by the scissor lift manufacturer. Anchor points are provided on the platform floor of the scissor lift for this purpose. However, our results demonstrate that the mid-rail and top-rail absorb substantial energy from an arrested fall and may have potential as appropriate anchorage points. Impact to Industry: Employers and workers should consider implementing fall arrest systems when using scissor lifts as part of their overall risk mitigation plan for fall injury prevention. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-prevention Accident-rates Aerial Lift Author Keywords: Scissor Lift Construction Construction-industry Construction-workers Equipment-design Fall Arrest Injury-prevention Safety-practices Statistical-analysis Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0022-4375
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  213-220
• Volume:
  41
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037127
• Citation:
  J Safety Res 2010 Jun; 41(3):213-220
• Contact Point Address:
  James R. Harris, Research Safety Engineer, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, MS G800, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
• Email:
  JHarris@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Safety Research
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:79a53f7769977773f241d840bbd45d76be2016805c5518f62556c1b22e728dc0685d22c9cdbc513ad8f19e61ed839a4d6ce062396d137eb2356b21b272b76906
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188276/cdc_188276_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 542.27 KB ]