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Aerial lift safety: How to conduct inspections

Aerial lift safety: How to conduct inspections

Author NameBy Ima Ocon
•
January 31st, 2025
• 9 min read
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Table of contents

  • What is an aerial lift safety inspection?
  • What information should an aerial lift safety checklist cover?
  • Essential tasks during an aerial lift safety inspection
  • How often should we conduct aerial lift inspections?
  • OSHA safety standards for aerial lifts
  • ANSI safety standards for aerial lifts
  • The importance of using digital aerial lift safety checklists
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Summary

Regular aerial lift safety inspections prevent accidents and ensure compliance with OSHA and ANSI standards. This guide covers how to inspect an aerial lift, key safety checks, and common mistakes to avoid.

Many aerial lift accidents are because of preventable factors like improper operation or mechanical failures. Despite strict aerial lift safety regulations, these incidents are still significant workplace hazards, leading to serious injuries. A major cause is overlooking critical aerial life safety pre-use inspections and maintenance checks.

With regular inspections, you can prevent tip-overs and verify that safety mechanisms are functioning properly. In this guide, we’ll break down the essentials of aerial lift safety, including what an aerial lift inspection involves, key tasks to perform, and how to create a safer work environment for operators and teams.

What is an aerial lift safety inspection?

An aerial lift safety inspection is a thorough check-up of an aerial lift to make sure it’s safe to use. Before operators take the lift up, they need to confirm that everything is working properly. These inspections are critical because they prevent mechanical failures, reduce accidents, and boost compliance with regulations.

The tasks involved include:

  1. Determining if the parts and condition of aerial lift machinery and equipment are safe for use
  2. Ensuring that you’ve already done complete inspections of all parts of your company machines to guarantee employees’ safety
  3. Determine which equipment needs immediate repairs or replacements

To keep track of this, many companies use checklists, which are manual or digital documents with a list of industry-specific instructions. These cover everything from checking the brakes to inspecting the brake shoes, greasing all joints of the aerial lifts, and testing their electrical system.

What information should an aerial lift safety checklist cover?

All aerial lifts need inspection before each use as well as a more comprehensive, periodic inspection. An aerial lift inspection checklist includes the following items:

  • The date and time of the inspection
  • The inspector’s name and contact information
  • The serial number or model number of the equipment (if known)
  • Date of the aerial’s last service or inspecton
  • Company name, address, and phone number
  • Operator’s name, certification number (if applicable), and contact information
  • Record of periodic inspections and preventive measures, which occur every six months to once a year depending on the type of equipment and frequency of use
  • Record of pre-use inspections, which take place before each use of the equipment and ensure that all safety mechanisms are in place and functioning properly
  • Record of post-use inspections, which occur after each use of the equipment to check for damage or other problems
  • A concise description of what kind of work was performed on the equipment and pathways during the previous shift, such as: replaced two batteries; debris picked after work; floor and driving path now free of obstructions; overhead obstructions are clear, and many more.
  • Information about any problems encountered during use, such as: broken booms; lift platforms unable to reach the work area; conductors have voltage problems; lack of pedestrian diversions like barricades and signage; absence of signal persons and spotters in the public roadways; sprinklers and beams no longer work; flammable risks post hazardous workplace atmosphere, and many more.
  • Safety records of operators’ training history, such as training in fall protection, aerial lifts
  • Soil and pavement conditions of lifts’ roadways, ramps, and other sloped surfaces they will pass through, i.e. their load weight limit and maximum load forces they can withstand.

To get started with these, you can download any of Lumiform’s aerial lift safety checklists–all of these are fully customizable to your needs, with pre-formatted sections and powerful collaboration features.

Essential tasks during an aerial lift safety inspection

For a regular aerial lift inspection, the operator should perform the following checks before use:

  • Check for damage: Look for cracks, dents, rust, or leaks in the lift structure.
  • Inspect tires and wheels: Ensure they are properly inflated (if applicable) and free from excessive wear.
  • Examine electrical components: Look for frayed wires, loose connections, or exposed cables.
  • Test the brakes and steering: Make sure they function smoothly without unusual noises.
  • Check hydraulic lines and fluid levels: Look for leaks or worn-out hoses that could lead to failures.
  • Assess proper lubrication: Check if moving parts like joints, bearings, and other components are working well.
  • Verify emergency controls: Ensure the emergency stop button works properly.
  • Inspect guardrails and safety harness anchor points: They should be sturdy and free from defects.
  • Check alarms and warning signals: Test horns, backup alarms, and flashing lights to ensure they’re operational.
  • Test the controls: Ensure all lift functions (raising, lowering, tilting, rotating) work smoothly.
  • Check stability and leveling: Confirm that the lift sits evenly and does not wobble.
  • Assess environmental conditions: Look for obstacles, overhead hazards, and weather conditions that could affect safe operation.

Skipping or rushing through these tasks can lead to serious safety risks, so take the time to assess all of these thoroughly.

For periodic inspections by mechanics or technicians, they would include everything from the list above, as well as conduct detailed tests and do service tasks based on manufacturer recommendations.

How often should we conduct aerial lift inspections?

Aerial lift inspections are advised to be conducted at least every 150 hours or every three months, based on the rules set by the ANSI/SIA Standards. Aerial lift equipment mechanics or someone with similar qualifications should conduct thorough inspections.

However, even if there was no maintenance between inspections, inspectors still need to perform an inspection before each use of the equipment. This is necessary to check for any wear or damage that may have occurred during transport or storage since the last inspection.

OSHA safety standards for aerial lifts

OSHA considers it an aerial lift if it’s a device with a platform that is suspended by a boom and has an operator’s station located outside of the boom’s travel path. There will also be a review of inspection documents to ensure the company follows all safety standards.

Based on OSHA’s definition, aerial lifts are self-propelled platforms for lifting and moving materials. Their purpose is to transport people or materials from one place to another, or for maintenance work on equipment, such as power lines. Aerial lifts are used in many industries, including construction, utility maintenance, and manufacturing.

With this definition, examples of aerial lifts include:

  • Boom lifts (straight boom or articulating boom type)
  • Scissor lifts (slab, rough-terrain or single-man type)
  • Telehandlers (telescopic handler or rotating telehandler type)

ANSI safety standards for aerial lifts

The ANSI standards for aerial lifts demand training for all operators and supervisors. Operators can already do risk assessment training online, but there is a machine demonstration portion required. Supervisors are not required for in-person demonstration, but they must also go through training.

These new standards also require that all machinery in construction sites meet specific criteria, which include the following:

  • They must be capable of supporting at least three times their own weight
  • They should not have any cracks or other defects
  • They should have no loose parts
  • The load capacity, brakes, stabilizers, etc., must all be adequate
  • Any operator controls must function properly
  • There should be no missing parts, no matter how minor 

The importance of using digital aerial lift safety checklists

It’s no secret that it’s extremely costly to deal with work-related accidents. Recent research shows that this is why it’s important to use prevention measures, such as these aerial lift inspection checklists to mitigate such risks.

As a response, Lumiform has created for you an aerial lift safety form builder that gives you unlimited options in writing down the actionable steps to lower the risks of workplace hazards to nothing.

It’s Lumiform’s primary aim to be the number one quality solution provider for even the most imperceptibly critical forklift problems. In fact, Lumiform’s templates give you the following benefits:

  • Complete your visual inspections of all aerial lift components. This is possible thanks to Lumiform’s “path to zero-harm culture” features that digitize quality and safety efforts across all areas of your operations.
  • Identify and subdue errors before they escalate by using Lumiform’s aerial lift safety checklists and organized workflows that cut down on inspection time.
  • Continuously optimize, simplify and increase the speed of your quality and safety inspections through Lumiform’s manual or automated issue reporting and assignment tracking options.
  • Secure maximum security, privacy, and compliance over your sensitive data to immunize against costly lawsuits and malicious cyber attacks through Lumiform’s SSL certificates and encryption algorithms that are in full compliance with GDPR regulations on customer data storage.
  • Stay on top of deadlines by using Lumiform’s complete suite of communications app to create individual checklists in minutes, making sure no task is left behind

Try Lumiform for free today and take control of your aerial lift safety operations!

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common causes of aerial lift accidents?

Aerial lift accidents often happen because of unstable ground, improper operation, mechanical failures, and lack of training. Tip-overs are a major risk, especially when lifts are used on uneven surfaces or when outriggers aren’t properly deployed. Falls also occur when harnesses aren’t used or operators lean too far over the guardrails.

How do I safely move an aerial lift from one location to another?

Before moving an aerial lift, lower the platform completely to reduce the risk of tipping. Check the route for obstacles, slopes, or unstable ground. If moving it across a long distance, especially on public roads, secure it on a trailer or flatbed truck and follow local transport regulations.

What should I do if an aerial lift gets stuck while elevated?

Stay calm and avoid sudden movements. If the lift won’t lower, try using the primary controls again. If they fail, switch to the emergency descent system. In case that also doesn’t work, have a ground crew operate the lift’s emergency lowering mechanism. In extreme cases, call for assistance rather than attempting to climb down.

Author
Ima Ocon
Ima is a writer and editor who specializes in technology, with experience crafting content for companies like Canva and FluentU. She's passionate about startups, remote work, and language learning, as well as the applications of AI in marketing. Currently, she is based in Asia, and she previously studied in Taiwan and Singapore.
Lumiform offers innovative software to streamline frontline workflows. With over 12,000 ready-to-use templates or custom digital forms, organizations can increase efficiency and automate key business processes. The platform is particularly user-friendly, offering advanced reporting capabilities and powerful logic functions that enable automated solutions for standardized workflows. Discover the transformative potential of Lumiform to optimize your frontline workflows. Learn more about the product

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