Hazard Alert: Aerial Lifts (2017)

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  CPWR--The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Description:
  If used right... aerial lifts allow you to move yourself and your tools exactly to the spot where you need to work, even if it's more than 100 ft. in the air. If used properly, an aerial lift can help you reduce the risks for back, neck and shoulder injuries caused by working at or above shoulder level. But all lifts are different. The down lever on one can be the up lever on another model. A problem can be catastrophic. An aerial lift that comes in contact with a power line or is setup on uneven ground can be deadly. Major causes of death are... 1) Electrocution; 2) Falls; and 3) Tipovers. Construction workers die each year from using aerial lifts. Before you use the lift... 1) Get training - Your employer must make sure every lift operator is trained by a qualified person experienced with the model of aerial lift being used. Once trained, follow the manufacturers' rules. 2) Wear a full body harness - If your lift is struck by another vehicle, you can be thrown from the lift and killed. Using proper fall protection will keep you from a serious or fatal fall. You must use a suitable lanyard attached to an engineered anchor in the basket or on the boom, not a guardrail. 3) Check for overhead power lines - The most frequent cause of death to a worker in a lift is electrocution. Trees can hide power lines. Do a pre-job walk-thru to look for obstructions. Unless you are a qualified electrical worker, stay a minimum of 10 ft. away from all power lines. A world of bad ideas... getting the job done quickly is no reason to take deadly short cuts. Stay away from these "quick fixes" to a problem: a) Standing on guardrail; b) Overloading man lift; c) Placing a ladder or scaffold on lift; and d) Climbing out of the basket. Instead, follow these procedures: a) Inspect the lift safety devices before using; b) Make sure the base unit controls are working properly so that someone on the ground can lower the lift if the operator is unable to work the controls; c) Don't modify the lift without the manufacturer's permission; and d) Know the Safe Floor Load Capacity before driving onto the floor/slab. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Education Electric Injuries Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Mortality Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident Potential Accident Prevention Construction Construction-equipment Construction-industry Construction-workers Electrical Power Transmission Lines Electrocutions Equipment Design Equipment Operation Equipment Operators Equipment Reliability Fall Protection Falls Harnesses Injuries Injury Prevention Lifting Machine Operation Machine Operators Machine Safety Mortality Data Overloading Pneumatic Equipment Power Lines Rollover Protective Structures Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-programs Safety Equipment Training Work-environment Worker-health

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• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Subseries:
  Hazard Alerts
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049843
• Citation:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2017 May; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Hazard alert: aerial lifts
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6c89367f221a7728c967b35f620bf7bc07aa8cbc785bc650b5194c00ccfe365609efdcf757f63c0210d2574b71cde9119800a982f72202bb777b591fa9fbbdaa
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212891/cdc_212891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.16 MB ]