Aerial lift safety

Aerial lifts are potentially dangerous machines – anything that puts a worker 20' or higher in the air creates a certain amount of risk. But because that danger is so apparent, lift owners and operators are careful to follow proper procedures and maintain their equipment: accident rates involving aerial lifts are actually fairly low.

The safety specifications ANSI A92.6 (scissor lifts) and ANSI A92.5 (boom lifts) put the burden for safe aerial lift operation on the user: even if you rent the machine for a day, you're responsible for understanding how to safely operate the lift.

Knowing that, the most basic safety features of an aerial lift are the operating manual and safety decals. These provide important information about operating procedures, maintenance, and safety equipment.

New lifts will come with decals and manuals in place – the operating manual should be stored on the lift itself. If you're buying a used lift, make sure the manual is included and that important decals haven't been painted over.

Other essential safety features include guardrails and restraints that prevent operators from falling. These are mandatory and standard on all types of lifts.

Additional safety features
Most lifts can be driven from the bucket: even with the lift extended, the operator can move the entire rig. However, an important safety feature called a high speed cutout limits the overall speed to a slow crawl when the lift is above a certain height.

A related safety feature found on newer lifts is pothole protection. With this feature, arms come out to stabilize the unit when the lift is raised. If it hits a pothole while moving, the arms prevent the base of the machine from tipping more than an inch or two, preventing a "catapult effect" that can send an operator flying.

One of the leading causes of accidents with boom lifts is uneven ground: even a slight incline can shift the center of gravity enough to destabilize the machine. Level warnings prevent that by sounding an audible alarm and disabling boom operation if they sense the lift isn't level.

If you choose a lift with non-marking tires, it should also have static straps. These straps ground the lift, preventing potentially dangerous static build-up from shocking your workers.

A manual descent valve is another important safety feature. If your lift loses power while a worker is up in the air, someone on the ground can use this valve to safely lower the platform.

Finally, LCD displays provide information from diagnostics and sensors, improving safety and maintenance operations.