Tragic Accident - Hydraulic Lift

[widefat]

With Condolences to his family, I respectfully post this.

Longtime Chestnut Forks employee dies after fall from hydraulic lift | News | fauquier.com

Just because the equipment can, doesn't mean you should.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It would have been helpful to find out what happened.

 

[widefat]

Yes, not many details. I assume it was a scissor lift. Was it moving, did it hit something, did he lean over/out to far? May never know.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Sometimes the way accidents appear to come out of nowhere, can get a guy down. Saturday, I went out the front door, thinking about safety, having just lost a friend to an accident. Five minutes later, I'm lying on my back, wind knocled out of me, having slipped on some ice in the barn! Quite the impact. I can't imagine falling eighteen feet!

 

[leonz]

They probably never purchased a full body harness for him to anchor himself in the lift.

These machines have anchor points in the floor for the operator to secure the harness line to the body of the lift and to prevent a fall to ground if the person using the lift falls out of the basket or off the platform.

 

[MossRoad]

Man, from reading that article it sounds like he was a nice guy, hard working and well liked. Also mentioned some previous heart problems. My condolences to his friends and family. Hug your loved ones often folks.

 

[Industrial Toys]

We don't even know what kind of machine, he was on.

I have often wondered if I want to be strapped to a falling machine, or take my chances falling on my own.

 

[MossRoad]

They probably never purchased a full body harness for him to anchor himself in the lift.

These machines have anchor points in the floor for the operator to secure the harness line to the body of the lift and to prevent a fall to ground if the person using the lift falls out of the basket or off the platform.

The article mentions the lift was on its side and turned over.

 

[MossRoad]

We don't even know what kind of machine, he was on.

I have often wondered if I want to be strapped to a falling machine, or take my chances falling on my own.

Probably best not to speculate what happened in his case.

I just went through vertical man-lift training a few months ago. Harnesses are not required in vertical lifts.

 

[MossRoad]

Harnesses are required in boom lifts, but not vertical lifts that have adequate side rails. The though being, you probably won't be catapulted out of a vertical lift, but can be from a boom lift.