Scissor Lift Safety Measures

Hebebuehne Scissorlift
CanLift Genie Lifts, including Scissor lifts, promote safety and functionality. With that said however, accidents are still commonplace in various workplaces not because of the equipment, but because of the poor handling and safety conditions of the workplace. Scissor lifts are one of the best inventions with regard to transporting equipment and letting workers reach elevated spaces. In order to avoid these accidents, make sure to follow these safety observances:

Placing the Scissor Lift

First off, you need to make sure that the area where the scissor lift will be deployed is a hard, flat surface that is free of bumps and other obstacles and elements that could potentially make working conditions hazardous. Here are the qualities that ensure safe deployment:
  • A hard surface. Tiled and concrete floors are ideal. Softer surfaces exposed ground, mud and those in sports fields should are a no-no.
  • Flat. Aside from being hard, a certain surface must be flat and even, meaning that it should be free of bumps and protruding areas to ensure safe navigation and deployment.
  • Dry and free of debris. Deploying scissor lifts to wet floors will naturally increase the chances of it slipping. Also, it should be completely cleaned and free of debris like stones, sticks and other things that may cause it to tip over.
The last thing to remember in this aspect is that you should ensure that the persons pushing or driving it around are well-trained and are knowledgeable in handling it.

Pre-use checks

Before actually using it to conduct whatever operations (construction or transport of materials to an elevated area), make sure to check if it is functional and responsive to the controls and if the mechanisms show no sign of damage. Here are some of the mechanisms that you should be able to check on:
  • Lowering and Platform controls – this mechanism lowers the hydraulics raising the lift's platform. You have to ensure that it does not in any operate abnormally.
  • Emergency stops – consider this like a car's airbag – in case of emergency, it allows the lift to suddenly turn itself off or stop operating.
  • Driving and steering – though only exclusive on large scissor lifts, you need to check if it functions well, especially since it may suddenly veer off to another direction.
Scissor Lifts Equipments

General safety measures

Given that there are a ton of accidents happening each year because of carelessness in handling lift equipment, here are some tips to negate or at least minimize occurrences:
  • Place the weight evenly on the platform. Not doing so will result to tip-overs.
  • Only let personnel that mastered the user and manufacturer's manual operate the whole thing. Never let inexperienced persons touch it. Better yet, have the manufacturer conduct a safety lecture or provide a general overview of how the machine should be used. 
  • Regular maintenance. The operator must ensure that the mechanisms are inspected at least once every few weeks or as recommended by the manufacturer. 
  • Safety equipment. Regardless if the scissor lift is being used as a transporter of goods or a platform to provide a place to work on, the personnel operating it as well as the persons on the platform should be able to wear the basic (and required) safety equipment