The majority of aerial lift accidents are caused by untrained operators and aerial lift hazards they aren't prepared for. That means that many are preventable, even the ones that have caused serious injuries and fatalities.
 
Let's review a few past aerial lift accidents to see what might have gone wrong and how they could have been prevented:
 
Accident #1: In January 2014, two aerial lift workers died when their lift tipped over near the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix. The lift was on a downhill slope on the jail's northwest side. Inmates saw the accident and reported it to authorities.  
Accident #2: In October 2013, a Montana man was killed when he fell from a boom lift that was being transported on a flatbed truck. Along with the fatality, another man suffered significant injuries. Cause: Instability. Because the aerial lift was on a flatbed truck, the workers were dealing with an environment that the lift wasn't designed to handle. Not properly positioning and stabilizing a lift is one of the main types of aerial lift hazards. Investigators didn't say whether or not the truck moved during the accident, but it's entirely possible that was the case.
 
Accident #3: In February 2014, a Los Angeles man died when a transit bus struck the boom he was operating. The man fell 11 feet – much less than the average boom lift fall – and suffered severe head trauma. Falls are one of the most common types of aerial lift accidents, and often end in death. Cause: No advance warning system. According to Detective Felix Padilla, "This is something that could have been avoided, definitely. Had he had a lookout or somebody to help him maneuver to the position safely, it could have been prevented."
 
Accident #4: A San Diego-area real estate company called "Three Frogs" violated workplace safety standards which ultimately caused the death of a construction worker.
 
Three Frogs is involved in "flipping," a popular way to fix and sell older or run-down homes for a profit. But as investigators explained, the hunger for profit sometimes mean companies cut corners on safety, which can lead to serious aerial lift accidents and other types of accidents.
 
Tree-trimmer Joshua Pudsey used an aerial lift to trim a 60-foot eucalyptus tree in November 2013. Mr. Pudsey suffered a fatal blow from a large tree branch, which fell on his head. Inspectors believe that Mr. Pudsey lacked formal qualification and proper training, one of the main causes of aerial lift accidents and deaths.
 
Company President David Scot Wolf, 48, Chief Operating Officer John Murphy, 36, and Chief Financial Officer Jonathan D. Cox, 34, recently appeared in a San Diego court. All three entered not guilty pleas.
 
Cause: Mr. Pudsey's mother, Debbi Anderson, told reporters, "They cut corners and they saved a couple of pennies, but….I can tell you, that it's costing them a hell of a lot more now than it would have had they hired a professional to trim that tree." Cutting corners is just one of the many types of aerial lift hazards that can easily be prevented.
 
If the three executives are found guilty of all charges, the combined sentencing would be 15 years, 10 months – six and half years for Mr. Wolf alone.
 
Accident #5: The last of the aerial lift accidents involves Fairview Contractors (based in Lee, Massachusetts) who were cited by OSHA for safety violations that resulted in the death of roofer Francis Bona, 51. Fairview failed to provide proper safety measures during the November incident. Bona died at a condominium job site. If his employer had provided guardrails and other fall protection measures to protect against aerial lift hazards, it's probable that Bona would still be alive.
 
"This was a needless and avoidable loss of a worker's life," said Mary Hoye, OSHA area director for Central and Western Massachusetts. "While guardrails and fall-arrest systems were present at this work site, they were not used and were thus useless," she said.
 
Four site scaffolds at the site did not have guardrails, and employees working on the roof did not have fall-arrest systems. What's more, walk boards that connected scaffolding also lacked guardrails, officials said.
 
OSHA cited Fairview Contractors for a pair of willful violations (legal-speak for they knew they were cutting corners) and five serious violations for the remaining hazards.
 
As a result, Fairview was put on OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program. This means that numerous follow-up inspections will happen in the future – often during surprise visits to job sites.
 
Along with the loss of life and severe damage to the company's prestige, the total fines could end up costing Fairview Contractors $119,350.
 
Maintenance is critical for overall aerial lift safety, and so is proper training. Choose Quentin Lift for your aerial lift and scissor lift purchasing needs. From fall protection to accident avoidance and more, we're the best choice for manufacturing and training in China!
 
If you have any questions about our scissor lift or aerial lift fall protection training, give us a call at 0086-531-88029300. Thanks for considering us for your scissor lift purchasing and training.