Injured Young Worker Hazard Alert: Parking Lot Attendant Falls Three Stories off Manlift

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 22-year-old parking lot attendant fractured three ribs, separated his shoulder, and punctured his lung after falling 30 feet from a manlift. The victim was using the manlift to descend from the 5th floor of a parking garage. A manlift is a power-driven platform lift used to transport people between floors. Riding the manlift involves stepping onto a 1-2 square foot platform and grabbing a handhold. The manlift moves at approximately 75 feet per minute (less than 1 mile per hour). To get off the lift, a rider steps onto an adjacent platform. The company's training for manlift use normally involves verbal instruction by a supervisor followed by trainees viewing a video demonstrating safe operation of the equipment. In this case, the victim's training consisted of a demonstration of how to ride the lift followed by a ride with the supervisor present. The victim was uncomfortable with using the manlift. On the day of the incident, the worker's second day on the job, the victim was rushing to return to the main floor to help customers. As the victim stepped onto the lift platform with one foot, the shoelace of his other foot snagged on the metal grate used for the landing surface. The manlift continued to descend while the victim was hanging by his shoelace from the fifth floor. When his shoelace broke, he fell thirty feet to the second floor. The injuries initially added significant personal stress to his life since he needed others to assist him with simple everyday tasks. A year after the incident the victim continues to have leg and back pain; he can no longer participate in sports. His fear of heights has worsened and he is uncomfortable riding in elevators. Employer Requirements: Belt manlifts installed between July 1, 2004, and January 1, 2008 must meet American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) A90.1-1997 requirements. All belt manlifts installed after January 1, 2008 must meet ASME A90.1-2003 requirements. See WAC 296-96-11001. All belt manlifts must have emergency stop devices that are located within easy reach of the "up" and "down" run of the belt. See WAC 296-96-11066. Establish, supervise, and enforce effective rules that lead to a safe and healthy work environment. See WAC 296-800-11035. Recommendations: Employees should be physically and mentally able to perform work tasks. If employees are uncomfortable using any equipment or machinery, they should not do so until training or skill issues are addressed. Employers should ensure that all employees are trained on how to recognize and minimize hazards associated with any equipment they will be using. Employers should strongly consider not using these manlifts due to their inherent hazards. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accident Prevention Accidents Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Equipment Operation Falls Injuries Machinery Machine Safety Training Traumatic Injuries Young Workers
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060793
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 91-10-2012, 2012 Jan; :1
• Email:
  Eric.Jolonen@Lni.wa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Injured young worker hazard alert: parking lot attendant falls three stories off manlift
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:22e75c64784eff72f39b804b31c97aea8c145b1941fee48a7e68c679017254cee109a210f8d5dd0213d0993ae30d216b3e8a6816a6f26abb2889ce0c255b1f32
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224606/cdc_224606_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 142.81 KB ]