Scissor and boom lifts — safer than a ladder, but only when planned
Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs or EWPs) — scissor lifts, boom lifts and vertical lifts — are a safer way to work at height than ladders or scaffolds, but they bring their own risks: falls and ejection, tip-over, and crushing or entrapment against structures overhead. Operators in boom-style MEWPs must wear a harness attached to a certified anchor, every platform needs a pre-start inspection, and operators need the right training.
A MEWP is a machine that raises people, tools and materials to a working position on a platform. The main types are scissor lifts (straight up and down), boom lifts or cherry pickers (with horizontal reach), and vertical mast lifts. Choose the right platform for the task and the environment, and plan the work before anyone goes up.
Operators in boom-style MEWPs must wear a full-body harness with a lanyard fitted with a short energy absorber or self-retracting lifeline, attached to a certified anchor point — the lanyard kept as short as practical so the operator stays inside the platform. For scissor lifts, complete a hazard assessment and follow the manufacturer's instructions to decide whether a harness is needed. Always have a rescue plan in case an operator ends up suspended.
| Risk | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Falls / ejection | Being thrown from the platform, especially in a boom lift hitting an obstruction. |
| Tip-over | Soft or sloping ground, overloading, or wind beyond the rated limit. |
| Crushing / entrapment | The operator trapped between the platform and a structure overhead — a leading cause of MEWP deaths. |
| Power lines | Contact with overhead lines; keep clear and treat lines as live. |
| Falling objects | Tools or materials dropped on people below — use exclusion zones. |
Before each use, inspect the MEWP — safety devices and controls, structure, hydraulics and electrics — and test the emergency lowering system, recording it in a logbook. Operators should hold task-relevant training; the recommended NZQA unit standards cover the EWP types and their legal requirements, with separate standards for scissor, boom, truck-mounted, trailer-mounted and vertical lifts. Assess the ground, deploy any outriggers, and set exclusion zones below. This is part of your wider working at height planning.
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Not always. For scissor lifts, a hazard assessment and the manufacturer's instructions decide whether a harness is needed. In boom-style MEWPs a harness on a certified anchor is required.
Operators should hold task-relevant training. The recommended NZQA unit standards cover EWP types and legal requirements, with separate standards for scissor, boom, truck-mounted, trailer-mounted and vertical lifts.
Being ejected from the platform and being crushed or trapped against an overhead structure. Both are leading causes of MEWP deaths, which is why a harness and careful positioning matter.
A pre-start inspection of the safety devices, controls, structure, hydraulics and electrics, and a test of the emergency lowering system, recorded in a logbook.
They can be, because they provide a stable guarded platform, but only when the right type is chosen, the ground and wind are managed, the operator is trained, and a rescue plan is in place.
