Different standards always put an effect on the manufacture, design, and use of aerial products. Aerial products are widely used in different industries for lifting products, and because of this huge demand, new products and manufacturers are introducing themselves in the market each year. Each product needs to go through the standard safety reviews as that ensures the safety and proficiency of these aerial products.
What is the wind speed rating?
It means how much wind speed a scissor lift machine can tolerate without any risk of collision. The wind rating requirements in the ISO standards, scissor lifts are rated for either 0 m/s (for indoors) or 12.5 m/s (28 mph) of wind (on outdoors). These standards reflect the effect of wind on these machines.
Why is it important to maintain the wind rating requirements?
It is a must to maintain wind rating requirements for the safety of workers as well as goods. There is a high chance that the scissor lifts can collapse if someone doesn’t maintain the threshold. For outdoor, it must not cross the threshold of 28 miles per hour wind speed. In the tower climbing industry, the threshold of 23 miles per hour is usually maintained by workers. The scissor lifts are usually designed to tolerate the wind speed mentioned and there can be a risk of collision if the wind speed exceeds the limit.
Not only the wind speed, but ISO standards also have mentioned other factors as well that can affect the use of scissor lifts both indoor and outdoor. These factors include side force, chassis tilt, and platform load sensing.
How do the wind rating requirements impact the lift design?
As the wind rating requirements are different indoor and outdoor, the designs of indoor scissor lifts can be different from scissor lifts that can be used outdoors for heavy-duty. Using an indoor-only scissor lift for indoor industrial uses is the safest option. These lifts usually have lighter weight and are limited to work in areas that have no impact on the wind.
On the other hand, while using scissors lifts outdoors, it is advised to use the outdoor-only lifts as they are specially designed and manufactured to tolerate the wind speed up to 28 miles per hour. They are heavier compared to indoor-only lifts. It is always advisable not to lift the scissor and dismiss or delay the operation if the wind speed exceeds the threshold limit as the lifts are designed according to the standard requirements.