Tips for Operating a Manlift Safely

You must adhere to the regulations in order to operate a manlift safely. Safety precautions are not recommendations. Your employment location becomes risky if employees don’t abide by these regulations. Your employees run the risk of falling and suffering crushing injuries if manlifts are used improperly. Furthermore, you run the risk of damaging the lift itself and nearby property in a costly way. This article will outline the precise safety procedures you must adhere to as well as the instruction you and your staff members require to utilize this equipment.

Guidelines for Using a Manlift Safely

Regardless of the type of manlift, it is your responsibility to operate it securely. You keep yourself and your co-workers safe by adhering to safe operation procedures. By avoiding accidents and property damage, you can also save time and money.

You will receive safety lessons on everything from how to move the lift and anchor your lanyard to how to behave while riding the lift. Getting expert lift instruction, a topic covered later in this article, is the greatest method to obtain a thorough understanding of all these procedures.

You must abide by the regulations set forth by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Aerial lift climbers must use safety belts. You need a safety harness with a lanyard that attaches to the work platform regardless of how low or high your lift goes. Workers who wear this lanyard are protected from falls of up to 6 feet.

You must only clip a fall-protection lanyard to the manlift’s authorized location in order to secure it. Don’t clip yourself to another part of the lift or anchor yourself to a structure outside of it. Additionally, you must refrain from knotting or winding your lanyard around a railing. Steel welds should be used to attach safety clip points to the building.

Here are a few more guidelines for utilizing manlifts safely:

• Maintain a firm footing on the platform.
• Do not lean out of the basket, sit on the railing, or rest your feet on any object.
• Never brace oneself outside the lift with one foot.

In order to finish a work assignment, you may need to exit the lift at a height. Check with the manufacturer for particular safety precautions. To securely relocate to a different height at your job site, experts advise using a transport lift. However, if you have to enter or depart a manlift while at a height, talk to your employer or coworkers about potential practices. Before doing anything in the air, always practice on the ground. For this feature of manlift utilization, OSHA has not established any specific regulations.

Other precautions to take include:

• Never disable or override any hydraulic or safety features.
• While the work platform is in the air or while someone is using the platform, do not move the lift from one place to another.
• Never exceed the lift’s weight capacity by failing to pay attention to it.
• Pay care to overhead dangers such as electricity lines.
• Use stabilizers and brakes at all times.

Training Required for Safe Manlift Operation

As mandated by OSHA, your personnel must receive the appropriate training to safely use manlifts. There are numerous formats for training, including live classes, online classes, videos, and tutorials. Consult the lift’s manufacturer or the equipment rental firm you used to obtain the training equipment.

Many manufacturers provide training programs, and rental firms can assist you in identifying the most effective instruction for the lift operators. Aerial lift instruction is provided by renowned brands like JLG and Genie. OSHA provides training in lift safety for construction workers. You receive your certification from the U.S. Department of Labor after finishing the online course.

Although you must enroll in a formal course to become certified, you can receive free advice regarding safety procedures online.

By reducing workplace accidents and injuries, you can save money by getting yourself and your staff trained. When employees show up to work on a job site already knowing how to use the lifts, you also save time. Additionally, certified workers can instruct other workers. A trainer on staff makes it simpler to onboard new employees.

If a workplace accident has occurred, retrain your staff. No of how similar a new lift type is to the ones you’ve been operating in the past, your firm requires you to undergo retraining every time one is used. Even if there hasn’t been an accident, you still need to teach your staff if you find any manlift-related job hazards.

You’ll learn the following things through training:

• The specifics of using a manlift properly, including how to move and position it.
• How to navigate a warehouse with exposed beams without crushing everyone in the lift.
• Alterations and upkeep.
• How to assemble and disassemble any optional fall safety devices that were included with the lift.
• The risks involved in using a lift and how to reduce those risks.

You must show that you can move and place the lift correctly in order to pass your training program. You can be sure you’re prepared to operate the lift at a job site by demonstrating your abilities and safety awareness.

Last but not least, even if you have successfully completed aerial lift training, study handbooks and instructions before using a lift. If you have previously used the lift, review your memory of it or become familiar with a new lift. It’s worth taking the extra time to read the content. The lift’s mechanism and safe operation should be understood by everyone who operates it.

Manlift Pre-Start and Worksite Inspection

A pre-start check of the manlift and a jobsite inspection are required. Bypassing these inspections, you run the risk of creating dangerous conditions that cause accidents or damage to property. Inspections are a crucial component of effective safety procedures when using a manlift. These inspections should always be carried out by a qualified professional. Before utilizing the lift, fix any issues you encounter.

Verify that the vehicle and the lift are in good functioning order during your pre-start inspection. If you use the lift infrequently, you should perform this inspection every time you use it, or at least once every week.

Checks made during the vehicle inspection include:

• Brakes
• Hydraulic pressures
• Amounts of coolant
• Oil amounts
• Fuel
• Leaks
• Wheels
• Batteries
• Chargers
• Steering mechanisms
• Lift controls at a lower level
• Included in the lift inspection should be
• Controlling mechanisms
• Emergency stop buttons
• Devices for personal safety
• Insulation
• Any safety information that is absent or illegible, including placards
• Pneumatics, electricity, fuel, hydraulics
• Hardware and pins
• Outriggers and stabilizers
• Cables
• Wiring devices
• Guardrails
• Any missing or slack components
• Inspections on the job site must include: Terrain (contains loose dirt, holes, or drop-offs)
• Height of ceilings
• Ditches, slopes, and bumps
• Impediments on the floor, such as debris
• Risks in the sky, such as electrical lines
• Weather conditions like ice or strong winds
• Locations where each employee is positioned, particularly in respect to where the lift is located
• Any additional risks or obstacles

Keep in mind that you must keep a record of each inspection for the Department of Labor in the United States. This document contains the serial number of the manlift, the inspector’s name, and the inspection’s date.

Risks Associated with Using a Manlift

If you use a manlift without following safety procedures, you endanger both yourself and anybody else at your job site. With the correct training, falls and other injuries that arise from using a manlift can be avoided. However, you must be conscious of the potential outcomes.

When lifting a load that exceeds the load limits of the manlift, there is a chance that the lift will topple. Anything that is crushed by tipping lifts is at their mercy. The person standing on the platform is also in danger of slipping out when a lift tips. A tipping hazard will also result from stopping a lift on unsteady ground that has a greater gradient than the equipment is rated to manage. The lift may roll or tip if the brakes and stabilizers are not fitted.

Moving the lift when someone is standing on the elevated platform is another common reason for falls. Failure to fasten lanyards or wear safety harnesses frequently results in very deadly falls.

The majority of injuries are caused by overhead risks. For instance, if a worker is positioned between two beams, an accidently moving lift will crush that individual. Only personnel who are wearing electrical safety gear should approach active power lines closer than 10 feet since they are another source of hazard.

Never move freight, lumber, or construction supplies with a manlift. These objects have the potential to fall from the manlift and harm employees below. Always make sure you’re utilizing the appropriate tools for the job.

You can confidently utilize a manlift at your next job site if you receive the appropriate training and follow the recommended safety procedures. Keep in mind that improper use of these strong instruments can lead to worker injuries and costly property damage. Find the training course that’s appropriate for your company, or look at the Genie training materials that BigRentz provides. When you hire your next manlift from BigRentz, paying attention to safety is the best way to ensure the wellbeing of your employees and the job site.