Here at Cherry Picker, we are committed to providing customers with high quality cherry picker hire at an affordable price. As one of Ireland’s foremost cherry picker hire firms, we’re committed to providing you with all the equipment that you need to work at height. We hire out battery and diesel lifts and UDrives / Self Drives, which allow you to reach heights of up to 60ft. However, it is the safety of clients while using our cherry pickers that is paramount. Working at height is always a risk.
There are so many things that can go wrong while working off the ground and the injuries that can be sustained can be life threatening. Falls are one of the biggest causes of death and serious injury while working with cherry pickers but there are other situations that can pose a risk to you or your colleagues. Fortunately, there are ways for you to minimise this risk. The right level of care and the correct training can seriously diminish the risks associated with working at height.
To help you make sure that both you and those around you are as safe as possible, we have a few important safety tips that you should bear in mind when planning your cherry picker hire.
Choose the Correct Equipment
Not every piece of equipment that we stock is going to be the right choice for the project you’re working on. One problem that you might encounter is the boom being too small to take you where you need to go. Our smallest cherry picker can take you to a height of just 20 ft, which isn’t always high enough. It is important you don’t hire the 20 ft cherry picker if you need to go higher, even if the height difference is just a few feet.
While taller cherry pickers will be slightly more expensive to hire, it’s important that you prioritise safety in this situation. The risks that come with leaning too far out of the cherry picker to reach something or, worse, adding in a step ladder to boost your height, are too high to ignore. With so many options for the height of our cherry pickers, this is a really easy way for you to ensure the safety of those around you.
Check the Ground Conditions
Once you’ve hired your cherry picker and it’s arrived, you need to make sure that the land is actually able to cope with the presence of the picker. Before you start working, take the time to check the ground. It needs to be firm enough to not sink under the weight of the cherry picker and it also needs to be as even as possible. Soft ground will not make for a solid position for your cherry picker and it makes it difficult to move the cherry picker around the area you need.
Additionally, uneven ground could quickly lead to the cherry picker tipping over once the boom has been extended. As a matter of fact, uneven ground is such a risk to cherry pickers that we would recommend picking a different access platform entirely. There are other options that are more appropriate for uneven ground, keeping you and your colleagues safe from tipping, falling and crushing. Save cherry pickers for flat, even ground, like concrete or building interiors.
Whether you’re working inside or outside, it’s important for you to check what’s above the cherry picker as much as you check what’s below it. Overhead wires and ceilings may well be lower than they look and not being aware of them can put those in the cherry picker at risk. Crush injuries are common amongst cherry picker users who rise too high.
Use your Common Sense
It might seem like a silly thing to emphasise, but you’d be surprised by just how many people are injured while using cherry pickers because they have leaned too far out. This can be a particular temptation when doing things like chopping down trees, which can seem just within reach. But this risk is totally unnecessary as cherry pickers are designed to be movable.
You can reposition the tower at any time, to make sure that you’re actually able to reach what you’re working on. This only takes a few moments and ensures that your two feet will stay firmly on the platform, totally safe from the risk of falling. It’s easy to exercise some common sense while working with a cherry picker, and this common sense might just save your life.
Carry Out a Risk Assessment Before you Start
All jobs that involve a cherry picker should have a full risk assessment completed with specific steps taken to make sure that everyone is as safe as possible. This can include things like clearing the area of lollygaggers and people trying to distract the worker on the platform. You might want to even set up a perimeter around where you’re working to make sure that you’re as safe as possible. Taking these sorts of steps can seriously reduce the risks to you and your colleagues while using cherry pickers. And that should be your top priority.
Train your Staff
Whoever is working with the cherry picker should really be fully trained to work at heights. This sort of training ensures that they are familiar with the equipment when it arrives. Properly training for working at heights is arguably the most effective and important safety precaution you can take as it ensures that they will be able to act responsibly and safely during your work day.
If your staff don’t work at heights often, then we would recommend ensuring they regularly undertake the safety training just to make sure that they are up to day. With this knowledge fresh in their minds, they’ll be able to ensure that you meet all the safety requirements, keeping everyone working at heights and on the ground as safe as possible.
No matter what your plans might be for working at height, following these tips will ensure that you do so with limited risk or opportunity for accidents. And, with our flexible range of hire hoists and access platforms, you can rest assured that we’re also doing our bit to guarantee your safety. So, if you do need the help of a cherry picker, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.