Two tips for those who will be renting a boom lift for their industrial facility

If you're considering boom lift hire for your industrial facility, here are a few tips that should help to ensure that you do not experience any issues with this piece of equipment.

Discourage your employees from taking a DIY approach to tackling issues related to the boom lift

It may take a while for your employees to get used to operating the boom lift. During the first few weeks of using it, they are likely to experience difficulties, particularly if they have only just finished their training and are still familiarising themselves with the equipment.

If they do encounter issues, it is important to discourage them from taking a DIY approach to tackling these challenges.

Instead, they should be encouraged to inform you or their manager if or when they encounter problems so that you can then contact the boom lift hire company and ask for further instructions or advice on how to proceed and then pass this information onto your employees.

The reason for this is as follows; if your employees do not tell you when they are having difficulties with the boom lift but instead simply try to work out the issue themselves, there is a chance that they may make a mistake that could either result in the equipment being damaged or someone being injured.

For example, if they need to use the boom lift on a steep slope and do not ask you (or their manager) for advice on how to keep the equipment balanced on a gradient, but instead just attempt to stay on one side of the boom's basket to stop it from tipping over, both they and the equipment could end up toppling to the ground. In this situation, the employee could sustain major injuries and the equipment could end up damaged beyond repair.

Conversely, if in this situation, the employee informed you of the issue and you asked someone from the boom lift hire company what to do, the company's representative might recommend that your employee use a piece of counter-balancing equipment, to keep the boom lift stable whilst it is being used on the slope. This could protect your employee and prevent the equipment from being damaged.

Make sure the boom lift is kept in excellent condition

If you decide to rent a boom lift for your facility, it is vital to keep it in excellent condition. Failing to do so could have serious financial repercussions for your business and could even endanger the wellbeing of your employees.

For example, if the boom lift's hydraulic fluid is not replenished after it drops to a low level, the equipment's arm could fall quite abruptly whilst one of your employees is performing work whilst standing on the platform (as the hydraulic fluid is what helps to keep the arm of the boom lift elevated).

The impact of the fall could leave them with fractures or a concussion. Furthermore, any valuable work materials or tools they were handling at the time of the incident could also end up being destroyed.

As such, it is vital to ensure that your employees who will be using this equipment perform maintenance work on it on a regular basis.