Stay Safe While Operating Your Scissor Lift

Scissor lifts are indispensable in many workplaces, but they can also be a hazard when improperly used. If you're bringing a scissor lift rental into your warehouse or as part of your job site, here's what you need to know for safety.

Scissor Lift Safety First

Before anyone goes up in a lift, ensure that proper safety procedure is being followed. The scissor lift rental should be inspected for any obstructions, mechanical failures, and damage. Its safety features need to be tested before workers go up. Its power source should be fully functional and capable of working throughout the entire day on the job. During operation other equipment should stay clear of the lift, and its scissors should be kept clear of obstructions or other problems. When renting scissor lifts, it is important to remember that even though your crew may have some experience, they are not used to operating the equipment on a regular basis. The operator should be present at all times, and crew in the basket should have a clear set of verbal and hand signals to alert others on the site when they'll be coming down, moving the lift, or otherwise taking action.

Overhead Risks

Anyone working with lifting and hoisting machinery should know the first direction to look, before any job, is straight up. The most common concern is working with a scissor lift rental under power lines, which should not be done. There are more hazards above you than just power lines. You should never use a scissor lift rental indoors that has the ability to drive the basket into the ceiling, as it puts any users at risk if the lift malfunctions. When using a lift with any overhead obstruction, avoid the obstruction where possible and know exactly what you're being lifted up to. Only use a scissor lift rental when you're sure of safe operation.

Protecting Against Falls

As you might expect from the nature of scissor lifts, falls are the most common workplace injury. It's generally held that the guard rails around the cart portion of a scissor lift rental are enough to provide safety, but extra fall protection is often seen as a sensible measure.

In this particular scenario, though, the guard rails are enough. In fact, if a worker is climbing up on the guard rails, which they should not do, and falls out, a safety line would, once the falling person hit the end of the tether, potentially knock over the lift. Restraints should be used, however, just not as fall protection.

Bounce

Lifts are generally a smooth ride, but like any other powered conveyance, they can start or stop suddenly. Similarly, the higher up you go on a narrower surface, the more likely you are to have to deal with wind and other issues that can cause swaying in the basket. For that reason, harnesses and restraints should be used in order to properly secure anyone in the basket of a scissor lift rental. The specific standard states that a lanyard and body belt are the preferred protection. Remember that you're not using this to protect against a fall out of the basket, but rather to prevent falls inside the basket.

Above all, use common sense, and you'll get the most out of your scissor lift. If you'd like to see what a scissor lift can do for your business, contact us. We can help you choose a scissor lift rental that will work for your needs.