subject: Should Your Boom Lift be Regularly Inspected? [print this page] Should Your Boom Lift be Regularly Inspected?
A boom lift is an important piece of machinery used by numerous types of business in the UK. The mechanical device is similar in design and function to a cherry picker or scissor lift, comprising a platform upon which workers stand, an extendable arm and vehicle mount or trailer. Although visibly different from one another, boom lifts, scissor lifts and cherry pickers are often described collectively as mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs).
In the UK, the use of MEWPs is subject to various health and safety laws, which are discussed in more depth below. Boom lifts assist with work at height, so it is important that the devices are strong, stable and secure. Some models of boom lift are small enough to be towed behind an average size saloon car; although, most are pulled by larger, more powerful vehicles. A typical boom lift is compact (when in transit), manoeuvrable, relatively lightweight and easy to set up, supporting working heights of around 17 metres.
In regard to the title question of whether or not a boom lift ought to be regularly inspected, the answer is simple: definitely! As mentioned above, health and safety laws in the UK impose certain obligations on employers and their employees; most notably, any business that uses MEWPs must ensure that the devices are regularly inspected and maintained. Owing to the purpose for which they were intended, boom lifts are subject to the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
Regulation 12(2) of the 2005 Regulations states: "Every employer shall ensure that, where the safety of work equipment depends on how it is installed or assembled, it is not used after installation or assembly in any position unless it has been inspected in that position".
Regulation 12(3) adds: "Every employer shall ensure that work equipment exposed to conditions causing deterioration which is liable to result in dangerous situations is inspected (a) at suitable intervals; and (b) each time that exceptional circumstances which are liable to jeopardise the safety of the work equipment have occurred, to ensure that health and safety conditions are maintained and that any deterioration can be detected and remedied in good time.
Regulation 12(4) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 also provides that every employer shall ensure that a working platform used for construction work and from which a person could fall 2 metres or more is: "not used in any position unless it has been inspected in that position or, in the case of a mobile working platform, inspected on the site, within the previous 7 days".
Therefore, in the UK, boom lifts must be regularly inspected by law. The most salient points that can be gleaned from the above provisions include the obligation to inspect boom lifts and all other MEWPs at suitable intervals or at any time when such machinery has been exposed to conditions that may cause deterioration. Inspections must be recorded in writing. It is also necessary to inspect boom lifts that are used for certain types of work at least once every 7 days and that an MEWP is only used if it has been inspected in its current position.
