Create Foolproof Aerial Lift Platform Inspection Checklists

What Are Aerial Lift Inspection Checklists?

Aerial lift inspection checklists are manual or digital documents that contain a list of industry-specific instructions for employees who are responsible for inspecting aerial lifts. Used for departments that mainly work in quality and safety management, the inspection checklist serves as a guide to:

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

The checklist covers everything from checking the brakes to inspecting the brake shoes, greasing all joints of the aerial lifts, and testing their electrical system.

Some companies use checklists as part of their quality assurance program; others use them as part of their safety management strategy. Whatever your company's reason for using an aerial lift inspection checklist, it's crucial to make sure you have one in place so you can avoid accidents and injuries on the job site.

A Brief History

Safety checklists such as the aerial lift inspection template have their history traced as far back as 1935 when the US Army Air Corps initiated a series of aircraft assessments at the Wright Field, Dayton Ohio, to make sure that all the supplies are transported safely.

Since then, the military adopted checklists and inspections as an important tool for combat readiness and success. As the concept spread, so did its popularity: doctors began using them for patient care, pilots for flight safety, and engineers for construction projects.

As more industries embraced checklists, it became clear that these simple but powerful tools could help businesses improve quality, reduce costs, and increase revenue by reducing errors and improving efficiency.

In this article, you will learn:

1. Why you need to use aerial lift inspection checklists

2. What should be included in an aerial work platform inspection checklist

3. How often must aerial lift controls be tested

4. What the OSHA standard for aerial lifts is

5. What are the new ANSI standards for aerial lifts

6. The importance of only using industry-grade aerial lift inspection checklists

Why Do I Need To Use Aerial Lift Inspection Checklists?

Managers and employees benefit from aerial lift inspection checklists in multiple ways, but the two major reasons would have to be: safety and higher returns. According to the Between 2011 and 2014, 1,380 workers were injured while operating an aerial lift or scissor lift. 360 of these injuries were a result of slips, trips, and falls from one level to another.2 .

That's almost 50 incidents every single day, and these are only the ones that were reported—there are likely many more incidents that never made it into official records because workers didn't write them for fear of retaliation from their employers or other reasons.

With the conscientious use of these aerial lift checklists, there will now be lesser costly accidents that affect the speed of growth of companies. That said, here are some more of the significant reasons why you should use Aerial Lift Inspection checklists:

• Saves company money and boosts return of investment/capital (ROI) faster by reducing the number of incidents that cause downtime
• Helps advance your career by being more productive as templates allow you to focus more on other tasks while still making sure everything gets done correctly. This is possible someone else will be checking off each step as it's completed by one person or another
• Ensure that the aerial lifts under your management are in good working order, safe for use, and comply with all relevant regulations to avoid costs associated with safety management penalties and quality assurance programs
• Reduces you and your team's risk of injury or casualty on site
• Ensures that all parts of your company's machines are inspected regularly and thoroughly and on time so that managers can identify potential hazards and defects are dealt with before they become serious problems
• Ensures that workers are trained in proper procedures for operating equipment safely. It helps keep track of all the things that need to be done daily, so you don't miss anything important
• Helps companies comply with required safety regulations and inspections for all aerial lifts set by various authorities like WHO or CDC
• Provides an overview of how these rules should be carried out and keep up with all required safety inspections for aerial lifts, so companies can operate safely and avoid lawsuits or fines from the government
• Guides inspectors on how to inspect your site if management feels there has been negligence on behalf of any party involved

What Should Be Included in an Aerial Work Platform Inspection Checklist?

Inspections must be conducted at regular intervals, with the frequency determined by the type of equipment being inspected. For example, a boom vehicle should be inspected every day it is used, while a scissor lift should be inspected once per month.

The following items should be included in an aerial work platform inspection checklist:

1. The date and time of the inspection
2. The inspector's name and contact information
3. The serial number or model number of the equipment being inspected (if known)
4. Date when the aerial was last serviced/inspected
5. Company name, address, and phone number
6. Operator's name, certification number (if applicable), and contact information
7. Record of periodic inspections and preventitve measures, which occur every six months to once a year depending on the type of equipment and how often it is used
8. 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
9. Record of Post-use inspections, which occur after each use of the equipment to check for damage or other problems
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. Safety records of operators’ training history, such as training in fall protection, aerial lifts
13. 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.

How Often Must Aerial Lift Controls Be Tested?

Aerial lift inspections are advised to be conducted at least every three months or every 150 hours, whichever comes first, based on the rules set by the ANSI/SIA Standards.

It's essential to add that weekly aerial lift inspection checklists are ideal. Better yet, they should be completed by an aerial lift equipment mechanic or someone with similar qualifications. The only exception to this rule is if the aerial lift operator has performed maintenance on the equipment between inspections, then they can skip this step.

However, even if there was no maintenance done 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.

What Is the OSHA Standard 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. OSHA inspectors will also review aerial lift inspection checklists to ensure the company’s follows all safety standards.

Based on OSHA's definition, aerial lifts are self-propelled platforms that are used for lifting and moving materials. They can be used to transport people or materials from one place to another, or they can be used for maintenance work on equipment, such as power lines. Aerial lifts are used in many industries, including construction, utility maintenance, manufacturing, etc.

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)

What Are the New ANSI Standards for Aerial Lifts?

The newest ANSI standards for aerial lifts will now demand training for all operators and supervisors. Risk Assessment training can already be done online for operators, but there is a machine demonstration portion required. Supervisors are not required in-person demonstration, but they must also go through training.

These new standards also require that all machinery used 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 Only Using Industry-grade Aerial Lift Inspection 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 built for you an aerial lift inspection template 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 are guaranteed to:

• Complete your visual inspections of all aerial lift components in the fastest possible time FOR FREE. This is possible thanks to Lumiform’s breakthrough “path to zero-harm culture” features that digitize all quality and safety efforts across all areas of your operations, increasing your company’s goals and returns tenfold.
• Identify and subdue errorsbefore they escalate by using Lumiform’s powerful 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 all GDPR regulations on customer data storage.
• Never let your team miss deadlines by using Lumiform’s complete suite of communications app to create individual checklists in minutes, making sure no task is left behind.
• Sustain the high-growth performance of your company by integratingLumiform’s detailed reports and comprehensive analysis features
with your systems via API.
• Reach your success targets faster without the risk of overoptimizing by exploringLumiform’s unlimited custom forms. Simply type a question you want an inspector to execute, and you can get the quickest response without overcomplicating the inspection because you can decide whether the answer is in multiple-choice, text, checkbox and many more.