19.08.2026

Dual boom lift fatality

Two men died earlier today in Portugal when the boom lift they were working from overturned rearwards, throwing them from the platform.

The incident occurred in Sintra, a few miles due west of Lisbon, while the men, aged 38 and 40, both from Brazil, were repainting the façade of a multi-storey residential block. They were working at a height of around 16 to 18 metres from the platform of a vintage 80ft JLG 80HX, which looks like a model built between 1988 and the mid 1990s. We understand that it belongs to the building renovation company Atb-Reabilitações de Edifícios.

The lift was located on a public road with a few widely spaced small traffic cones for cordoning off pedestrians or traffic. It overturned rearwards, with the boom crashing onto a small building, causing it to buckle, the platform floor ended up around three metres above the ground. We assume that neither of the men were wearing harnesses with lanyards attached.
As to the cause – it looks as though the telescopic axles on this model were not extended, which meant it was not fully stable in certain positions, especially when slewed over the side. Even the early models were fitted with micro switches that cut the boom telescope and lift functions beyond a certain point. Such switches were, however, relatively easy to disable compared to those on modern platforms.

Safety authorities and ACT arrived on the scene fairly promptly and are investigating the circumstances of the incident, which was reported to emergency services around 8:00 this morning.

The mayor of Sintra Marco Almeida, also visited the site this morning and stated: "The City Council is investigating the licensing process for this project, which involves public space and mandatorily requires a permit."

He added: "I do not want to rush into statements about assigning responsibility, that is not my role. I have spoken with the project owner and contractor, but I really want to express my condolences to the families and thank all the emergency services staff on the ground.”

We will aim to update this as and when we learn more.