Update on NIOSH Scissor Lift Tipover Study

December 8, 2005 • Although no results have been released for NIOSH's scissor lift tipover study, Skyjack, Inc., Guelph, Ontario, the manufacturer supplying 19-foot scissor lifts for the study, has provided some insight as to where the testing stands.

Last week at the Aerial Platform Safety Conference in Houston, Texas, Brad Boehler, Skyjack's director of product safety and quality assurance, updated attendees on its collaboration with NIOSH, including tests that have been performed and those still outstanding.

To date, both the static testing and dynamic testing have been completed. During the static tests, the scissor lift's center of gravity was determined at different elevations, and the dynamic testing included depression testing and collecting data during horizontal movements.

Currently in progress is the human factor testing, and NIOSH is now beginning the computer simulation stage. Once the human factor testing is complete, the information will be entered into the computer simulator to ensure the data gathered during real-life testing will produce the same result in the simulator. Once all the testing in completed, NIOSH will be able to simulate dangerous working situations in a virtual environment to avoid putting workers in hazardous conditions.