How Can I Improve Work Site Safety?

It doesn’t matter if you’re the construction manager who oversees the entire job, a construction worker who drives the labor, or safety supervisor —one thing is for certain.  Safety on the worksite is absolutely crucial for protecting yourself and the workers who scale to dangerous heights each day. Here are some strategic ways you can prevent boom lift accidents and protect your team in every worksite situation.

Make Sure Your Operator Is Certified

Whether you’re lifting to 10 or 1000 feet, an accident can have potentially fatal repercussions. However, you can be sure that you’re in safe hands with Kardie Equipment. All of our operators undergo advanced training—in-classroom and on-site —that exceeds the rigorous criteria of Bronto Skylift. From remote troubleshooting methods to emergency procedures and safe practices for driving and operating, each operator undergoes a comprehensive array of instruction and education. This ensures master-level control and preparation for a potential emergency so that all equipment is safe and all workers are protected, guaranteed.  No one can operate a Bronto Skylift without passing our training and keeping their annual certification current.

Maintain Continual Inspections

Just like with personal vehicles, truck-mounted aerial work platforms should be tested and inspected on an annual basis. If the equipment doesn't have a current certification it can result in accidents; cranes were the cause of 220 deaths between 2011 and 2015, and scaffolding, which accounted for 15% of fatal falls (172 deaths) between 2011 and 2014.

All of Kardie Equipment’s fleet is inspected quarterly and then certified annually during a two week comprehensive maintenance procedure.  This is done to keep our customers safe when renting our equipment and meet DOT, OSHA and ANSI requirements. If you ever experience a mechanical  issue with your equipment, a Kardie Equipment technician can remote into your Bronto to diagnose the error immediately, without any wasted downtime or travel.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

When your job requires you to be raised high into the air, communicating with your team members isn’t easy. But maintaining contact with other workers is the key to keeping everyone safe and doing the best job possible—especially once the worker is too high up to hear or see clearly.

Following OSHA’s specific guidelines is highly recommended, so that you can make sure everyone is on the same page and that operators and workers on the ground clearly understand the meaning of all hand signals. Here at Kardie Equipment, we’ve made communicating from basket to ground or ground to basket reliable and instant. Each Bronto AWP features a voice-activated intercom system between the ground and work platform to keep team members connected and safe throughout an entire job. The intercom is always listening which means if the worker(s) become incapacitated or unconscious the ground operator can always hear what’s happening in the basket or engage the controls from the ground level bring the basket and its contents down quickly and safely.

Avoid Unsafe/Dangerous Equipment (Man-Baskets)

A man lift is a bucket truck is a cherry picker is a crane—as long as they lift you to heights, they’re all the same, right?

Wrong. Bucket trucks, cherry pickers, cranes, scissor lifts, and Genies not only have a limited reach—which restricts the amount of work you can do—but also are not the safest option for you and your workers. Their relay logic and simplistic design lacks the innovative technology features and safety standards to prevent accidents and errors from occurring, especially in certain weather conditions.

Bronto AWPs, on the other hand, have overcome extreme weather (they are manufactured in Finland after all), high winds and dirty or hazardous condition to ensure your safety and protection—even in winds up to 31 mph! Each aerial work platform we rent or maintain holds a current annual inspection and is operated by a certified, trained operator, giving you peace of mind that all workers are safe in any working situation. Here are just some of the innovative safety features of a Bronto AWP:

• Smooth boom movements with automatic leveling
• Multiple backup operating systems for emergency descent
• Rigid work platforms permanently attached to the telescopic boom
• Bronto baskets that can withstand winds up to 31 mph
• Intercom-activated intercom between the basket and ground
• Cage load sensor and overload alarm
• Wind speed indicator and alarm
• Emergency stop functions from the work platform, ground control, and outrigger control center

Are you in the market to rent, lease, or buy a safety-award-winning, reliable aerial work platform for your worksite? Here at Kardie Equipment, we have all the options you need. Contact us today, and we’ll outfit your team with a best-in-class Bronto AWP to get your job done efficiently and safely.