Aerial lifts can be very handy on big construction sites, and you and your employees might use them on a daily basis. Although they are certainly useful, however, aerial lifts can be incredibly dangerous. One big thing that you have to worry about is falling off of one of these lifts, but luckily, following a few safety tips can help keep you and everyone else on the job site as safe as possible.

1. Wear a Positioning Device or Body Harness

One of the first and most important steps that you can take to protect yourself and your employees from falls is to use a positioning device or body harness while using an aerial lift. In fact, not only is it important to do so to prevent falls, but it is also required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. You have three options to comply with this law and to protect yourself and your employees; you can use a body belt that is anchored to the boom or basket with a tether, use a body harness with a tether or use a body harness with a lanyard. You must choose a system that prevents yourself or an employee from hitting a lower level or from free falling for more than six feet.

2. Stay Inside the Guardrails or Buckets

Make sure that you and your employees always stay, flat-footed, in the bucket or within the guardrails. It can be tempting to stand up on the guardrails to reach a little bit higher and a little bit farther, but doing so can make a fall much more likely.

3. Do Not Exceed Reach Limits

Make sure that you carefully read the owner's manual that came with your aerial lift. It should provide information about the maximum horizontal and vertical reach levels Never try to operate this machinery beyond these reach levels; otherwise, the equipment could be more likely to tip over and result in injury.

As you can see, there are things that you can do to keep yourself and your employees safe while using aerial lifts. Make it a top priority to follow these three tips and to teach your employees to follow them to help prevent falls. Then, you can help protect your employees, ensure that you are complying with OSHA's laws and help protect yourself and your company from being held liable for dangerous -- or even deadly -- accidents.

For more information, contact Power Equipment Leasing Co Inc. or a similar company.