Lift Training Could Mean the Difference Between Life and Death
News stories that deal with work-related accidents in construction and other fields frequently service. We know employee lives are in danger on job sites where scissor lift and aerial lift training are used – yet, tragedy doesn’t really hit home until we see it on the local news, or know a person or family whose lives are impacted by a serious tragedy involving an aerial lift.
Many potential employees look forward to operating an aerial lift, and learning the tools of the trade. However, looking forward to going to work can turn into tragedy without the proper aerial lift online certification. For instance, we can examine the case of two sheet metal workers in Framingham, MA, who recently lost their lives to improper aerial lift training.
Two employees of the Framingham company were working in a Grove model A125J aerial lift’s elevated basket. During a routine rooftop inspection, the lift fell over as it was being lowered. A later OSHA inspection resulted in the conclusion that the lift was lowered improperly – which in turn cost employee lives.
After further inspection, OSHA inspectors determined that the aerial lift operator on the job had not received adequate online or real time scissor lift training, or appropriate OSHA aerial lift training. The employee in question was also not given the hands-on education in using the aerial lift that OSHA requires before use.
Because of this accident, one employee ended up dead, and the other was seriously injured. The company received OSHA fines in excess of $31,000. We’ve said it time and time again – these types of fines are enough to literally shut down a company.
There’s nothing worth the loss of life. Your employees are loyal, and the law requires that your protect them and your business investments by ensuring OSHA mandated scissor lift training and aerial lift training online are a part of your everyday operations. It’s just too risky to get unseasoned employees up on your lifts.