# Manlift safety



## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Around here safety is enforced on some jobs and not others. 

I don't agree with having to be tied off to the lift. When working in an area with a open edge yes be tied off, but in a lift that is on a flat floor and won't go up if it is on a drop cord no.


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

I can see the point in being tied off to a boom lift, some of the bigger ones will really through you around if you don't know what you are doing.

I have never saw the point in tieing off in a scissor lift. I realize that its not an osha requirement but alot of companies have adopted that policy.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

mattsilkwood said:


> I can see the point in being tied off to a boom lift, some of the bigger ones will really through you around if you don't know what you are doing.
> 
> I have never saw the point in tieing off in a scissor lift. I realize that its not an osha requirement but alot of companies have adopted that policy.


 I agree with you 100%. The job that I'm on right now if the catch someone in a Lift that is not tied off the will send that person home for 3 days. Which we have about 30 one man lifts out there, because the dumbass couldn't keep the sissor lifts out of the sheetrock walls so the GC made everyone go to the one man lift. What a waste now it takes a ground man because the man in the lift can't bend the conduit.


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## sparky105 (Sep 29, 2009)

I agree as long as you are using the lift as it was intended scisor lifts are not to hard to figure out if you stay inside cool. On the big jobs here though if you even climb on a lift without a harness that is cause for dismissal your first warning and last is when you sign on. It is just still amazing to me that people still cut corners to save a minute or to save a dime.
However boom lifts will throw you if you are not smooth on the controls driving as well as moving up and down
I guess what really sticks in my craw is the guy that uses the rentals as a crane this puts unseen stress on the machine and is not detected upon inspections or they just don't have any concern for everyone around them.
At this point in my life I really don't give a st if people want to hurt or kill themselves it's when they do things to put others in harms way.A holes like that should be shot.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Isn't it a OSHA requirement to be tied off in a boom lift?


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

sparky105 said:


> I was on vacation down in Florida last winter and seen a couple of hacks up a man lift on a side of the building
> a) no harness on
> b) way to much weight on the lift I think they were installing concrete board hard to tell from the height
> c) one of the heros was standing on the top rail
> ...


30 or 40 years ago this dude named ronald reagan slashed the budget for OSHA so that they were unable to enforce the labor laws that were in effect. Ever since then, state and federal OSHA agencies have only gotten back to providing spotty enforcement of the laws that are on, and have been on the books. Generally (at least in my area) they are only there after an accident has happened so that they can hand out as many fines as possible to 1) get money to fund themselves, and 2) make a statement. So, yes, you will see a lot of stupidity on jobs (until the first accident scares them into compliance)


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## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

william1978 said:


> =
> 
> I don't agree with having to be tied off to the lift. .


 Me neither, if that puppy tips over I want to jump clear of it, not get crushed under it.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

BuzzKill said:


> Me neither, if that puppy tips over I want to jump clear of it, not get crushed under it.


 Yea, or get sling shotted to the floor.:no:


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

william1978 said:


> Isn't it a OSHA requirement to be tied off in a boom lift?


 Yea you are suppoed to have a harness in a boom lift. OSHA hit a job I was on awhile back because the inspector drove by and saw a guy washing the brick that didn't have a harness on in a boom lift. If I remember right it was like a $2500 fine. Not all that much in the grand scheme of things but still.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

I was driving a JLG 800 AJ across a construction site in the early spring, one of the front tires broke through the frost and dropped to the axel. I was thrown up from the floor about two feet. I was bounced around a bit but didn't come out of the basket. If I was going a little faster or at a different angle I could have been pitched over the rail. Yes I had a harness on, it didn't help in this case but I can see how it could save a life.
:scooter:
Chuck


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

drsparky said:


> I was driving a JLG 800 AJ across a construction site in the early spring, one of the front tires broke through the frost and dropped to the axel. I was thrown up from the floor about two feet. I was bounced around a bit but didn't come out of the basket. If I was going a little faster or at a different angle I could have been pitched over the rail. Yes I had a harness on, it didn't help in this case but I can see how it could save a life.
> :scooter:
> Chuck


 I don't think I would drive one of those lifts without a harness like you said anything can happen in just a second. It was a lift like this one right?


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

Yep, that looks like a 800 AJ.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

*Osha*



wildleg said:


> 30 or 40 years ago this dude named ronald reagan slashed the budget for OSHA so that they were unable to enforce the labor laws that were in effect. Ever since then, state and federal OSHA agencies have only gotten back to providing spotty enforcement of the laws that are on, and have been on the books. Generally (at least in my area) they are only there after an accident has happened so that they can hand out as many fines as possible to 1) get money to fund themselves, and 2) make a statement. So, yes, you will see a lot of stupidity on jobs (until the first accident scares them into compliance)


Some time, or other, we have to take responsibility. An action is not deemed good because someone in authority was not there to CATCH us. The safety regulations are not just for the employers...it is for all of us to comply with. If you violate the rules it is YOUR fault. It is just that so far it is relied upon the contractor to insure that you don't do something unsafe. And they get the blame.


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## sparky105 (Sep 29, 2009)

laws and safety reg are not about money and getting caugfht they are about going home at night to your families healthy and not in a friggin box


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## ryanapplequist (Sep 19, 2009)

I was working at a plant last year and saw my foreman almost get killed. He was taking a 45 foot genie manilift for one part of the plant to another. I was following him in the work van and he hit a hole. If it wasnt for the harness he would have flew out the basket. When the basket bounced his feet went even with the top rail. It was kind of crazy.


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## Kris Davis (Nov 15, 2009)

OSHA requires a fall restraint lanyard 2'-3' long. People think if they grab a fall protection harness and a 6' lanyard they are compliant. Most safety officers don't know the difference.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Kris Davis said:


> OSHA requires a fall restraint lanyard 2'-3' long. People think if they grab a fall protection harness and a 6' lanyard they are compliant. Most safety officers don't know the difference.


 Can you post a ref. for this I would like to look it up if you don't mind? BTW welcome to the forum.


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## Kris Davis (Nov 15, 2009)

Not sure about a ref. We went to a OSHA 10 class a few years ago and it was brought up there. OSHA has been on the job and we discussed it with them again.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Kris Davis said:


> Not sure about a ref. We went to a OSHA 10 class a few years ago and it was brought up there. OSHA has been on the job and we discussed it with them again.


 Thats cool, I'm getting to go to a OSHA 30 class and hopefully they will go over that if not I will ask the question.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

*kFall Reatraint*



Kris Davis said:


> Not sure about a ref. We went to a OSHA 10 class a few years ago and it was brought up there. OSHA has been on the job and we discussed it with them again.


I just want to say that I agree with you. I don't need a reference...they, REFERENCES, are ALWAYS, the minimum necessary. I have never understood why anyone would want to know "What is the minimum that I can get by with?" A three foot difference on a lanyard, give me a break.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

RIVETER said:


> I just want to say that I agree with you. I don't need a reference...they, REFERENCES, are ALWAYS, the minimum necessary. I have never understood why anyone would want to know "What is the minimum that I can get by with?" A three foot difference on a lanyard, give me a break.


 Working in a one man lift a 3' lanyard would be a whole lot easier to work around than tripping over the 6' lanyard.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

william1978 said:


> Working in a one man lift a 3' lanyard would be a whole lot easier to work around than tripping over the 6' lanyard.


 That is part of what I am talking about. I would rather be josseled around in a basket after hitting a hole in the flooring than hanging 3 feet on the OTHER side of the basket. Thanks. If you need to venture beyond the basket, then a SECOND, FREE CLIMBING lanyard is required.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

I want to stay in the basket.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

william1978 said:


> I want to stay in the basket.


Smart...I still don't know, for sure, what a rat is.


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

I used to work with a guy that was off work for over a year because a scissor lift fell on his leg. He was tied off to the lift and could not get out of the way in time when it toppled over, almost lost his leg! Why don't they make some kind of emergency "quick" release on harnesses that you could release quickly if needed?


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

*Manlift Safety*



cdnelectrician said:


> I used to work with a guy that was off work for over a year because a scissor lift fell on his leg. He was tied off to the lift and could not get out of the way in time when it toppled over, almost lost his leg! Why don't they make some kind of emergency "quick" release on harnesses that you could release quickly if needed?


I think that I know where you are coming from, but how would you know which way to jump? I believe that once you are commited to the basket...the basket is the safest place to be.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

RIVETER said:


> Smart...I still don't know, for sure, what a rat is.


 A smart man like yourself don't know what a RAT is?:laughing::laughing:


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

RIVETER said:


> I think that I know where you are coming from, but how would you know which way to jump? I believe that once you are commited to the basket...the basket is the safest place to be.


This is very true! I have often thought that if this were to happen to me I would just hunker down, keep all my extremities inside the cage and hope for the best!


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

*Manlift Safety*



cdnelectrician said:


> This is very true! I have often thought that if this were to happen to me I would just hunker down, keep all my extremities inside the cage and hope for the best!


I agree, and safety would be better served with a three foot lanyard. Again, I say...FREE CLIMBING is a different animal.


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## Kris Davis (Nov 15, 2009)

william1978 said:


> Thats cool, I'm getting to go to a OSHA 30 class and hopefully they will go over that if not I will ask the question.


Bring plenty of coffee. We listen to mostly hazards of excavation depper than 40".


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Kris Davis said:


> Bring plenty of coffee. We listen to mostly hazards of excavation depper than 40".


That will be cool I do alot of underground also.:thumbsup:


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

Kris Davis said:


> OSHA requires a fall restraint lanyard 2'-3' long. People think if they grab a fall protection harness and a 6' lanyard they are compliant. Most safety officers don't know the difference.


Sorry, that's wrong.
OSHA 1910.66 App C II(d)(2)(ii)
"Lanyard length should be six feet plus or minus two inches (1.83 m plus or minus 5 cm) as measured from the fixed anchorage to the attachment on the body belt or body harness."


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## Kris Davis (Nov 15, 2009)

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=24110&p_table=INTERPRETATIONS

I'm not here to get into a debate. All I know is what I was told by the Osha guy. The above link says something about previenting a fall using fall restraint.


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## rdr (Oct 25, 2009)

mattsilkwood said:


> I have never saw the point in tieing off in a scissor lift. I realize that its not an osha requirement but alot of companies have adopted that policy.


EXACTLY! I've seen a few scissor lifts tip over and it wasn't a pretty sight. If I have the choice of tying off to say something like a perling or red iron as opposed to the lift I'd do that every time cause I sure as hell wouldn't want to ride that lift to the ground or try to jump away from it.


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## azsly1 (Nov 12, 2008)

drsparky said:


> Sorry, that's wrong.
> OSHA 1910.66 App C II(d)(2)(ii)
> "Lanyard length should be six feet plus or minus two inches (1.83 m plus or minus 5 cm) as measured from the fixed anchorage to the attachment on the body belt or body harness."


thank you. coming from a guy being 6 feet tall, i would need to wear the harness improperly in order to get to the far side of a 9' basket of a boom if i had to wear a 3' lanyard. 

as far as heights go, i'm fine with them as long as i'm tied off. but being tied off doesnt mean your safe from falling. as long as your aware of the situation around you and comfortable with yourself and skills, then you'll be fine. it may take a while to get there, but it will happen.


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

cdnelectrician said:


> I used to work with a guy that was off work for over a year because a scissor lift fell on his leg. He was tied off to the lift and could not get out of the way in time when it toppled over, almost lost his leg! Why don't they make some kind of emergency "quick" release on harnesses that you could release quickly if needed?


This is the same argument that people make about wearing a seatbelt and driving into a lake. If you are concerned about being able to extricate yourself rapidly from a lanyard or seatbelt carry the appropriate knife to be able to cut that lanyard.

http://www.888knivesrus.com/category/rescue_knives___tools/

Alaskan crab fishermen carry a knife incase someone gets stuck in the bite. 

I personally like using the correct safety gear. The real problem for that guy and that lift was that he tipped it over. Don't misuse your equipment in the first place.


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## Lonestar06 (Sep 13, 2009)

> If I have the choice of tying off to say something like a perling or red iron as opposed to the lift I'd do that every time cause I sure as hell wouldn't want to ride that lift to the ground or try to jump away from it.


Isn't that a violation also?

*1926.453(b)(2)(iii)* Belting off to an adjacent pole, structure, or equipment while working from an aerial lift shall not be permitted.

That being said, I agree that hanging from a barjoist vs riding the lift to the ground is a better option.


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## sparky105 (Sep 29, 2009)

I seen a guy jump out of a lift that was 6 feet raised when it drove off a ramp to a truck scale not very high but it brought gravity into the picture. He dove out of the lift as it toppled he mashed a knee on the asphalt and blew out the other ankle. eight feet of free air at the most the job safety guy seen it and wanted him charged and fired and hung and s^*t on. All because he wasn't tied off. Mean while he probably wouldn't walk again with out a limp. I think if he stayed in He may have been banged up a bit but who knows found out he was a new painter helper and was very knew to lift operation.


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

I've found that I don't pay as close of attention to what I'm doing if Ive got safety gear on.


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## Lz_69 (Nov 1, 2007)

cdnelectrician said:


> I used to work with a guy that was off work for over a year because a scissor lift fell on his leg. He was tied off to the lift and could not get out of the way in time when it toppled over, almost lost his leg! Why don't they make some kind of emergency "quick" release on harnesses that you could release quickly if needed?


I'm not sure about Ontario but in BC you don't have to wear a harness in a scissor lift; see 13.33(1.1)

http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publicat...x=20&_Title=Division-5-Movable-Work-Platforms


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