Taking Safety to New Heights

In the electrical trade, it’s sometimes necessary to spend time in elevated platforms: scissor lifts, boom lifts, etc. With that, there is always a risk of fall hazards, whether that be a personal fall, or dropped tools or materials which have the potential of striking people or damaging property. In today’s world of technology and advancements in safety, there has fortunately been a big increase of tools and attachments, approved by the manufacturers, that are available when we use lift equipment.

Why spend the additional cost on these new tools and attachments? At Faith Technologies, we know that the cost of these is minimal compared to the cost of an injury. The risk associated with putting an unsecured bundle of pipe in a lift or keeping all your tools and small materials unsecured on the platform of the lift can cause slip, trip and fall concerns. The additional cost to have items secured in the lift is well worth the money to prevent injury. Besides the personal harm caused by an injury, there are financial risks as well. According to the National Safety Council, the average cost of a workers’ compensation claim due to a struck-by incident is nearly $40,000.

What are some of the advancements with lift safety that can help us to reduce risk, and increase productivity?

• Material Racks – Helping keep material secured while also providing productivity gains due to ease of accessing materials.
• Storage – Helping keep unnecessary tools and materials off of the platform of the lift with tool/material trays. This storage also drives better housekeeping and productivity.
• Fall Protection – Helping drive safer solutions for elevated work.
• Specialty – Manufacturers are beginning to incorporate trade needs for elevated work, including electrical wire pulling racks and elevated platforms.

With the new technology being created by lift manufacturers, it’s wise to take advantage of these safety advancements rather than trying to save a few dollars. Keep in mind that any attachment that is added to equipment must be approved by the manufacturer.