02.08.2012

Fatal scissor lift fall

A man fell to his death from a scissor lift in an old shopping mall in West Palm Beach Florida yesterday.

The man, said to be in his 30s worked for an asbestos removal company - Best-Tec Asbestos Abatement - and was removing ceiling tiles from a 20ft slab scissor lift in the old Sear store when he fell from the lift and landed on the concrete floor suffering severe head injuries.

The emergency services arrived quickly but had to don breathing apparatus and decontaminate the man before treating him. He was declared dead on arrival at hospital.

It is claimed that the man was wearing a harness and lanyard – something not recommended for scissor lifts – but photos we have seen show the scissor lift guardrails were in good shape and intact, meaning he either fell out of the gate- a chain type closure often left open, or was up on the guardrails trying to reach into the roof area.

No matter the cause it is a tragic accident that that will affect many lives, from his traumatised colleagues to his family.