• Manlifts have OSHA regulations to keep workers safe.lift image by John Sandoy from Fotolia.com
  
  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor that issues workplace requirements to help keep employees safe and healthy. Since manlifts travel to high distances and are potentially dangerous when used improperly, OSHA manlift requirements help ensure the safety of workers using manlifts on the job.
  
  

Rails

• OSHA requires employers to provide manlifts that have guardrails that enclose the worker on the manlift. The guardrails should have self-closing gates that open outwards.
  
  

Emergency Landings

• When an employee uses a manlift to go up or down more than 50 feet at a time, there should be at least one completely enclosed emergency landing with a rail for the employee every 25 feet.
  
  

Emergency Ladder

• Employees should have access to an emergency ladder for the entire distance that they ride a manlift up or down.
  
  

Lighting

• OSHA requires that manlifts have at least 1 foot-candle worth of lighting at all points to ensure decent visibility and safety.
  
  

Driving Protection

• The mechanism that allows workers to drive a manlift should have sufficient protection from the weather at all times.
  
  

Speed

• OSHA does not allow manrails to move too quickly. They should not go faster than 80 feet per minute. In fact, employers should not even supply manlifts that are capable of going faster than 80 feet per minute, even if the workers operate them at slower speeds.
  
  

Platform Surface

• The upper platform work surface of a manlift should have physical properties designed to keep employees from accidentally slipping, like nonslip tread. Manlift requirements state that the platform's coefficient of friction cannot be less than 0.5.
  
  

Belt Requirements

• Manlifts have belts that function as brakes. The belt for a manlift that goes up less than 100 feet should be at least 12 inches wide. Manlifts that go up 100 feet and 150 feet should have belts at least 14 and 16 inches wide, respectively.
  
  

Stop Requirements

• Manlifts should have at least two stopping mechanisms, as outlined by OSHA. One stop needs to be a split-rail switch that automatically brakes when the manlift reaches a height of 6 inches above its intended maximum. The second should be another switch within 6 inches above the first switch on the opposite side of the manlift from the first switch or an electronic device that can stop the manlift.