Friday, October 11, 2013
Automotive Lift Hazards
Automotive lifts can be dangerous to use. Improper installation or alignment of the vehicle onto the lift, and a host of other dangers, can make working around a lift extremely hazardous. By being aware of these hazards; however, you can better prepare yourself in the event that the lift fails. Being prepared is always the best defense against injury.
Pinch Hazards
One of the greatest hazards to using a lift is in not paying attention to what is happening while the lift is in operation. On the side arms of the lift, the chains which operate the hoist are open so that the lift arms can travel up the sides of the lift, raising the car off the ground. Not only is it possible to pinch your hand or finger in this opening, but a tool dropped into the opening could potentially cause one side of the lift to seize. If the technician isnt paying attention, this could cause the vehicle on the lift to be raised on one side, while the other side remains stationary. The vehicle, after having reached the top of one side of the lift, could flip over, crushing the opposite lift pole and causing it to fall into the bay beside it. This could cause serious injury or death.
Crushing Hazard
While the lift is in the upright locked position, it is safe for the technician or others to pass underneath the lifted car. However, when lowering the lift, the technician must be mindful not to allow anyone to pass underneath the car. The general courtesy is for the technician to yell out "coming down," so that the shop co-workers can hear and will see that a vehicle is being removed from the lift. Also, it is important that the technician remembers to keep his feet out of the way of the lowering arms to avoid the danger of having his foot crushed.
Lift Mount Failure
Lift mount failure is particularly dangerous in home-based automotive lifts. Because the concrete floors of automotive shops are expected to bear the constant weight of the lifts, they are formed with thick concrete with very high tensile strength. However, if a lift is installed in someones garage, it should be noted that the concrete floor is less thick, and not able to withstand the pressures of the lift under certain conditions. If the car is positioned too far forward or back on the lift, the car would tend to lean heavily to one side or the other. This stress could cause the weaker concrete of a garage floor to buckle or crack, pitching the lifted car forward or backward, depending on how the weight of the car is centered.
Hydraulic Failure
Hydraulic failure is easily the least catastrophic incident which can occur to a vehicle lift. Because the lift arms are locked into place when the vehicle is raised, there is little danger of the hydraulics letting go with someone underneath the lift, and hydraulic fluid seldom, if ever, decompresses explosively. More common is that a leak forms in the system. In these cases, it is possible that the lift will not raise, but it can be equally as likely that the lift will raise to the top, and then will fail on the way back down. Because there is no controlling the descent of a lift whose hydraulics have failed, it is necessary to ensure that no one is underneath the lift when the hydraulics fail while the car is being lowered. If the leak is detected prior to the car being lowered, the problem should be repaired prior to lowering the vehicle lift.
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