Tragic Accident - Hydraulic Lift

[MossRoad]

And it's not fall arrester gear you wear in a lift, it's restraint gear to keep you in. Many small lifts can be tipped over if a person leans out of and/or falls over the edge. Their body weight hanging over the side is enough to tip them over.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I have one similar to this. We all get in a hurry, but a harness can save your life. Dad fell about 7-8 ft. onto his back when he was about 65. He died years ago at 88...but never the same after that fall.
Having said all this just last week I put an extension ladder in my tractor bucket...up I'm guessing 12-15 ft. or so...no harness, I'm 66.

 

[LD1]

Agree that o wish we knew what happened. But condolences in any case

 

[Tractor Seabee]

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.

OSHA does not require in scissor lifts but a lot of state codes and insurance inspectors require them. I did when a general foreman, superintendent, and PM for the very reason of this accident. Tipping over like most such cases expels the user into/onto other hazards. Better to stay with the machine. Construction sites are busy places with a lot hazards when you are flying around. When faced with, "the code does not require it" my answer was "this is my job, I set the rules.

Ron

 

[4570Man]

We all know how accurate news articles aren’t but if the lift actually did topple over as suggested I’m not sure what difference being tied on would have made.

 

[coldsteelva]

This is fairly local to me - I read and re-read the article. Assuming it is a traditional scissor lift, as the platform is raised stabilizers auto-descend between the wheels on both sides to provide lateral stability, but they are not outriggers. While these stabilizers are down, you cannot move the machine without first lowering the platform. If this lift was elevated and immovable, it is possible the man who had done this procedure 100s of times simply got complacent and leaned over too far rather than lower the platform, reposition and re-raise. It appears to have cost him dearly.

 

[Thomas]

Indeed a shame...special thoughts prayers to family.

 

[LD1]

I have never been in a small indoor scissor lift that has stabilizers. What comes down between the wheels is to prevent a tipover if you drop a wheel in a hole or something. And they CAN be moved even when elevated....but at a reduced speed.

I have also never been in a scissor lift that could simply be "tipped over" just by leaning out too far. And certainly not from only 18' high.

 

[Diggin It]

This one mentions a 'bucket':

February 20, 2019

“Mr. Berry was changing light bulbs in the ceiling of the indoor tennis court facility, using a hydraulic lift. The lift was extended and turned over while Mr. Berry was in the bucket.”

Chestnut Forks employee dies after fall from lift


This one is a similar but different incident:

Police investigating fatal accident at Springfield construction site | news/fairfax | insidenova.com

Jan 31, 2019

Raikes was reportedly working in an elevated hydraulic lift at a site in the 5700 block of General Washington Drive around 2 p.m. when he became pinned between the lift and a metal beam.

 

[Industrial Toys]

If you could upset a commercial lift by body weight alone, you would see news reports like this frequently. Getting squashed when working in a building is a constant hazzard. One that no safety equipment can address. A possible danger, worse than falling, and far worse when working in a basket on a forklift run by someone else. You find out how many people are hard of hearing too!