Scissor Lifts Beat Gravity

There comes a time when goods, as well as people, must go up in the world. When levitation arises on the agenda, scissor lifts come into their own. However, as in any heavy engineering endeavour, two hugely important key words apply: health and safety.

Scissor lifts are available in a wide range of sizes and capacities; the costs vary too. This makes it possible to choose the right scissor lift for the task in hand, without endangering the loads to be lifted and lowered and, more importantly, without putting operators at risk.

Here, a further key word applies; compliance. Both the scissor lift and the site where it is to be installed and used must comply with BS EN1570. This, BS EN1570:1999, to give it its full title, is the British Standard for such equipment. Its comprehensive four-page content, mentions, '...raising and/or lowering goods and/or persons associated with the movement of goods carried by the lifting table (i.e. not for passenger use), for a vertical travel of up to 3.0 metres.'

We know the height our BS-compliant lift can handle so what about its capacity? Scissor lifts typically offer load ratings ranging from a usable 500kg up to an impressive 10,000kg. This broad range of capacities means that with the right unit, not only goods but also a complete vehicle can be raised and lowered at will.

This begs a question: how is this heavy metal made safe? The answer is with, in a word, forethought. It's usual for the company supplying the scissor lift, or lifts, to partake in a site meeting, to ensure that the location is correct for the proposed lift and vice versa. Compliance with the abovementioned British Standard is established and matters including installation and subsequent servicing are normally clarified.

In engineering terms, other safety factors are addressed. For example, anti-trap sensor strips are included to stop the lift mechanism dead, should anything be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Similarly, burst valves are included to lock the lift, should a hydraulic hose fail in service. A range of options generally includes safety-related hardware such as handrails, barriers, roll-off guards and mesh enclosures for the scissor lift's platform.

It may seem that scissor lifts just go up – and down – period. However, there's a distinction between a scissor lift and a good scissor lift. As well as doing what scissor lifts do by definition, a good lift will be both well built and tried and tested. It will be dependable as a consequence and can be relied on to do its job day in, day out. Naturally, a full servicing provision will ensure this reliability continues throughout the life of the unit.

So choosing the right scissor lift involves a combination of professional advice and the build quality that goes with it. When you're equipped with the right scissor lift for your needs, your staff will be able to work at the right height, for manual handling, moving goods to the required level or moving a complete vehicle to a level where it may be easily loaded or unloaded.

Chase Equipment are a leading international supplier of scissor lifts, with a competitively priced series ranging from 500kg capacity to 10,000kg capacity. Contact Chase Equipment about your specific scissor lift requirements.