Are Scissor Lifts Safe?

11/01/2022

All construction equipment is inherently dangerous. Proper training for operators can alleviate many potential issues, but if scissor lifts are not used as intended or maintained per manufacturer guidelines, hazardous situations can occur. Scissor lifts are the safer option compared to ladders where there is more room for error. Safety features are an important part of any lift, having a good understanding of what the features are and what they do can help you become safer at height. When the need arises to lift heavy object up a lift, load sensing will ensure that you do not overload your equipment. Protect your workers and equipment by making sure your entire crew is aware of these factors that affect scissor lift safety.

Training

It's absolutely essential that all operators, occupants, and supervisors receive training or pass any necessary certifications on how to safely handle the scissor lift equipment that's being used. Ensuring that workers understand how to safely and appropriately use a scissor lift can greatly reduce workplace accidents involving aerial lifts. If an incident does occur, having other trained personnel in the area can minimize injuries by stopping or lowering the lift to a safe position.

Maintenance

It's critical that scissor lifts are properly maintained to avoid possible mishaps during operation. Operating machines without routine maintenance can lead to hose cracks, hydraulic oil leaks, loose pins, or more serious complications over time.

Scissor lifts manufactured by Hy-Brid Lifts only have two hydraulic connection points and can be fitted with maintenance-free AGM batteries, making them easier to maintain than competitive scissor lifts.

How Are Scissor Lifts Safe

Ladders Last

There are several reasons why scissor lifts are safer than ladders. Repeatedly climbing up a ladder day in and day out while carrying tools and materials is exhausting. How long before a hand misses a grip? a foot slips? The chances are way too high.

Scissor lifts reduce fatigue by eliminating the need to climb up and down ladder rungs. Workers can safely elevate bigger and heavier materials along with their required tools. Scissor lifts provide much more workspace when in the air than ladders allowing workers to be more productive. Our Push Around Series scissor lifts remove the need for unsafe ladders.

Safety Features

Safety features are a crucial aspect of scissor lifts; it is always important to know what types of features the scissor lift you're using has.

Fall protection is an important safety feature to keep in mind. The fixed railings on all our scissor lifts provide adequate fall protection for the operator. If a job site requires additional fall protection via harness and lanyard, always reference your manual to ensure you use the proper equipment.

Tilt protection is also an important topic when working at heights. All our scissor lifts include a built-in tilt sensor to alert operators of potentially dangerous situations. Additionally, our Pro Series and Zero-Turn Series includes pothole protection to prevent a tipover if the operator would accidently drive into a pothole.

Load Sensing

ANSI A92.20 guidelines regulate that all compliant scissor lifts must have a load sensing system in place. After the rated load is reached and before 120% of the rated load is exceded, the system is triggered and will not allow for any movement of the lift. All of our current scissor lifts are ANSI A92.20 compliant. With this safety feature it will prevent the lift from being unsafely overloaded.

Our Pro Series are equiped with live load sensing which provides the current load capacity on the upper control display so you know how close you are to reaching the maximum load capacity.

Pre-Start Inspection

Proper inspections for general safety and mechanical integrity should be conducted on a daily basis before using any scissor lift. If something is missing or damaged, the scissor lift should not be used until it's been serviced appropriately. Each machine's pre-start inspection checklist can be found in the Operations and Safety Manual that came with your scissor lift. If you have a low-level access Hy-Brid Lifts, you can also find your specific pre-start inspection checklist below.

PUSH-AROUND PRE-START CHECKLIST SELF-PROPELLED PRE-START CHECKLIST