For many in an industrial workplace, you will work with machinery every single day. One piece of machinery that is prominent in most warehouses, or similar, is scissor lift platforms. Scissor lift platforms are able to lift large amounts of products or even people to a great height and can be used for various purposes. If you have been considering investing in scissor lift platforms then we have answered some of the most burning questions you might have.

What are the safety considerations?

Machinery always comes with a slight risk. Scissor lift platforms are no different. Hard hats are usually required or at the very least recommended for all staff operating the scissor lift.
If the lift is being used to raise workers to a height, then there should also be a guard rail in place to help remove the risk of falling.

Furthermore, it is recommended that if you are the owner of scissor lift platforms, then you should also invest in a protective skirt for the lift. This skirt hides the actual scissor mechanism and removes the risk of fingers or anything else being caught in the machinery and causing damage or injury.

How are the scissor lift platforms powered?

This will entirely depend on the types of scissor lift platforms that you wish to buy. Some are battery powered and are rechargeable for reuse. Others are fitted with a plug and need to be plugged into a normal wall socket in order to be utilised.

Other have a hydraulic foot pump system that is used manually and does not need to be charged or powered.

How much weight can the machine lift?

Again, scissor lift platforms vary in the amount that each can lift. However, capacity normally starts at around 150kg and goes all the way up to 1250kg load capacity for the more heavy duty versions of this machinery.
Manual lifts usually do not go over 800kg but you may find exceptions to the rule if you do your research.

What height can scissor lift platforms reach?

Finding the right scissor lift platform for the job you wish to do is absolutely necessary. For lifting small loads onto low shelves you will not need heavy duty lifts but for raising larger loads onto a mezzanine, for example, you will need one of the largest versions.

If your needs do call for scissor lift platforms with more height then the maximum height one will probably reach is around 2900mm.