Scissor Lift Accident
Two killed, one critically injured during Port Everglades Scissor Lift Accident
The Broward Sheriff’s Office is investigating a scissor lift accident and are now trying to determine how a four-story-high scissor lift fell onto a concrete dock at Port Everglades last Friday, killing two Broward County public works employees and critically injuring a third. You can listen to the 9-1-1 call below.
This is not an isolated incident. Employers all to often take this equipment for granted and have employees hop on without proper training.
During the Fall 2010 college football season, a student who was also an employee of the University of Notre Dame was killed while filming the school’s football team practice from a scissor lift. Reportedly, the worker, who had not been trained to properly operate the scissor lift, raised the lift over 39 feet into the air to film the practice. The wind gusts that day were more than 50 miles per hour. The high winds blew the lift over, killing the worker.
Organizations that have employees that use scissor lifts must address the hazards associated with this equipment. These hazards can include:
The lift falling over or a worker slipping off the platform if the lift is:- used during bad weather or high winds
- positioned on soft or uneven ground, or on weak utility covers (e.g., underground sprinkler valve boxes)
- overloaded with heavy objects
- used with guardrails removed
- driven over uneven, unstable ground, or surface in poor condition, with the lift in an elevated position, or
- used with brakes that are not properly set
- A worker being electrocuted if the lift makes contact with electrical lines.