ForConstructionPros.com

Boom lift safety starts long before a lift on a jobsite ever occurs. It begins with the manufacturers building safety mechanisms into their machines, and continues through to operators, who must take the responsibility to be trained in proper operating procedures.

"Safety is a partnership between the design and function of the machine and the familiarity of the equipment by the operator," says Phil Harvey, product manager, boom products, Genie.

Manufacturer role

Safety on the manufacturers' part involves incorporating safety features into the equipment, ranging from emergency stops (e-stops) to sophisticated electronic control systems.

E-stops, as their name implies, stop all functions upon engagement.

Electronic controls ramp lift functions up and down, from full speed to no speed, by automatically slowing down and easing the operator into the final part of the movement.

"As lifts continue to get higher and higher, operator comfort is a key safety feature," says Harvey. "It's important that we create a level of confidence. These machines are designed to meet all the standards for stability, etc. That's a given. But we want to convince operators that these machines are safe, and to make them comfortable doing their job."