Toolbox Talk: Aerial and Scissor Lifts

Before you start

Bring the lift's operator manual or pre-use checklist so you can show what the operator should check each shift.

Read this to your crew

Aerial lifts and scissor lifts make work at height easier, but they can tip over, throw workers out of the basket or crush someone against a ceiling or beam.

Today we will talk about the checks and habits that keep operators and the people around them safe.

Key points

Only trained operators. Only people trained and familiarized on that type of lift may operate it.
Inspect before use. Check controls, emergency stop, guardrails, tires, hydraulics and alarms at the start of each shift. Tag out a lift that fails.
Check the ground and overhead. Look for holes, slopes, soft ground and drop-offs, and stay well clear of overhead power lines, beams and other crush points.
Use fall protection. In a boom lift, wear a harness with a lanyard attached to the anchor in the basket. In a scissor lift, keep the guardrails and gate closed and follow site rules for harnesses.
Stay inside the rails. Never stand on the rails or use a ladder in the basket, and never exceed the rated load or the manufacturer's wind limit.

Ask the crew

What items are on our pre-use checklist?
Where on this site are the overhead hazards near lift work?
How would we rescue someone stuck in a raised lift?

Picture this

An electrician drives a raised scissor lift across a warehouse floor to save time. One wheel drops into an uncovered floor drain, and the lift tips. Lowering the platform before moving and checking the route would have kept it upright.

Print this page to use the sign-in sheet, or skip the paper and record attendance digitally in SafetyIQ.

Name

Company / crew

Signature

Talk leader: ______________ Date: ______________ Site: ______________