During the Fall 2010 college football season, University of Notre Dame student/employee Declan Sullivan was killed while filming the school’s football team practice from a scissor lift. A scissor lift is a portable, hydraulic-powered lift with a platform that can be raised into the air directly above the base. Reportedly, Sullivan, who had not been trained to properly operate the scissor lift, raised the lift over 39 feet into the air to film the practice. The wind gusts that day were more than 50 miles per hour. The high winds blew the lift over, killing him.
Hazards
Organizations that have workers, including students who are employees, who use scissor lifts to film events and functions must address the hazards associated with this equipment. These hazards can include:
• The lift falling over or a worker slipping off the platform if the lift is:
o used during bad weather or high winds
o positioned on soft or uneven ground, or on weak utility covers (e.g., underground sprinkler valve boxes)
o overloaded with heavy objects
o used with guardrails removed
o driven over uneven, unstable ground, or surface in poor condition, with the lift in an elevated position, or
o used with brakes that are not properly set
• A worker being electrocuted if the lift makes contact with electrical lines.