High on Safety: Eliminating Aerial and Scissor Lift Accidents
It is no surprise that, year after year, more construction workers die from falling from a height above 6 feet, with an annual average of 32 to 35 percent. Most surprising, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is that between 1993 and 1999, general construction averaged 18 boom lift- and eight scissor lift-related deaths each year. Painters (SIC #1721) and drywallers and tapers (SIC#1742), however, have the fourth highest overall fall fatality rate behind those of roofers, ironworkers and electricians.
With the increased availability and versatility of manually propelled mobile scaffolds, scissor lifts and aerial lifts to these trades, the ratio of falls from these types of equipment is relatively large. Compared to 3 percent aerial lift deaths in general construction, painters and drywallers incur more than 17 percent of the fatal falls involving activities on mobile elevated work platforms. There were 10 percent more fatalities associated with scissor lifts than aerial boom lifts, probably due to their popularity with the painting and drywall trades.