Cherry Picker Safety
Safety
Safety is a very serious concern with aerial lifts, as the working environment they create is necessarily precarious. To ensure that these unavoidable risks are best managed, modern cherry pickers have a variety of safety features; here is a description of some of the most common:
Outriggers
Outriggers are extendable supports designed to add extra stability to a lift when it is in use. They come fitted to all types of lift but are especially common on vehicle mounted lifts, as the natural play in a vehicles suspension can become dangerous as the centre of balance changes with the lifts’ operation.
Pothole Protection
Similar to outriggers these safety arms also extend outwards from the base of the aerial work platform. However, they are designed for use with self-propelled lifts capable of moving whilst in use. Should the lift hit a pothole then, their presence prevents it from becoming dangerously unbalanced.
Level Warnings
Most cherry pickers will have a range of safety features relating to their balance, as toppling is one of the most common causes of accidents. These may include warning alarms and lights or an automatic cut-off when high wind or uneven ground makes operation dangerous.
Emergency Decent
It is important to be able to safely lower the basket or platform should an aerial lift lose power while in operation. For hydraulic lifts this usually done via a manual decent valve, which lets hydraulic liquid back into the pump reservoir once released and thus, allows the platform to safely lower under its own weight. Mechanical lifts (which are far less common) are all also able to be manually lowered; however, the means by which this is done depends on the type of mechanism used.
And Finally...
Most lifts are specialist pieces of equipment which require proper training for their use, so it may be necessary to hire a lift and operator for the day. There is undoubtedly a lift that is particularly suited to your needs, even if it has not been discussed here. Just fill in the form above to get free quotes from leadng cherry picker suppliers.
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