To keep yourself safe when operating a manlift, you must follow safety precautions. Your working site becomes risky if workers do not follow these regulations. When manlifts are used inappropriately, your employees are at risk of crushing injuries and falls. Furthermore, you risk causing costly damage to on-site property as well as the lift itself.
Manlift Operating Safety Procedures
- Your role, regardless of the type of manlift, is to utilize it safely. When you follow safe operation procedures, you protect both yourself and your coworkers. You also save time and money by avoiding injuries and damage to equipment. Your safety instructions include everything from securing your lanyard to maneuvering the lift to how to behave while on it. Professional lift training, which is covered later in this article, is the greatest approach to receive a full review of all of these practices.
- Aerial lift passengers must wear safety belts. No matter how low or high your lift is, a safety harness with a lanyard that attaches to the work platform is required. Workers are protected by this lanyard against falls of up to 6 feet. To secure a fall-protection lanyard, merely clip it to the authorized location on the manlift. Don’t anchor yourself to anything outside the lift, and don’t clip yourself to anything within the lift. Avoid looping your lanyard over a railing or tying it into a knot as well. Steel-welded safety clip points should be installed on the structure.
- Check with the manufacturer for special safety guidelines if you need to leave the lift at a height to perform a job assignment. To securely relocate to a different height on your job site, experts recommend utilizing a transport lift. However, if you must access or depart a manlift while at a height, consider appropriate processes with your employer or colleagues. Before doing anything in the air, remember to practice on the ground. OSHA has no particular restrictions in place for this element of manlift use.
- Always maintain a firm grip on the platform floor.
- Sit on the railing, do not lean out of the basket, and do not prop your feet up on any structure.
- Brace yourself with one foot outside the elevator at all times.
- Do not override or turn off any hydraulics or safety features.
- Don’t move the lift from one location to another while the work platform is in the air or while someone is working on the platform.
- Always pay attention to how much weight the lift can handle and never exceed the limit.
- Pay attention to power lines and overhead hazards.
- Always use brakes and stabilizers.
