What Should an Aerial Platform Safety Inspection Checklist Contain?

Aerial platform safety is crucial to protect employees that need to work at heights.

Employers require updated information to protect employees from hazards associated with working at dangerous heights above ground.

What is an Aerial Platform Safety Inspection Checklist (APSIC)?

An APSIC is a tool employers can use to assess the safety procedures and potential hazards for workers at heights. The checklist is also drafted to help employees remember which areas are to be examined to guarantee operational safety.

Employers must make sure their checklist is compliant with current OSH guidelines.

What Should an Aerial Platform Safety Inspection Checklist Contain?

A checklist for boom lift safety should contain three (3) important sections listed below:

Checklist for Job Site Hazards

Job site hazards include:

• Ditches, holes, slopes, or unstable surfaces
• Live cables and power lines
• Severe weather and high wind conditions
• The proximity of workers at heights
• Debris and floor obstructions

Checklist for Fall Protection

Fall protection includes:

• Fully functional fall protection equipment (lanyards, belts, and other protective gear)
• Access points that must be closed off to the public
• Functional platform for standing at heights (scissor lift, boom lift, scaffolding, etc.)
• Authorized equipment operators and workers trained in working at heights

Checklist for Overhead Protection

Overhead protection includes:

• Distance from power lines (at least 11 feet from overhead or nearby power lines)
• De-energizing live power lines before operating
• Check for other overhead objects
• Avoid working between overhead obstructions
• Correct work zone warning signs

Employers should work with an experienced safety consulting company to ensure a comprehensive checklist is drafted.

How to Use an Aerial Platform Safety Checklist for Inspections

An aerial platform safety inspection checklist will be easy to use with the following steps:

• Run the pre-inspection and evaluate factors in the job site
• Assess fall protection systems and other safeguards
• Inspect and remove any overhead obstructions likely to cause damage
• Provide boom/scissor lift and working at heights safety training to employees

Hiring a safety consulting firm makes it easy to go through all stages of using this tool without leaving out anything important.

How Can a Checklist for Aerial Platform Safety Help Employers?

A well-drafted checklist to promote aerial platform safety provides the following support to employers:

• Helps provide support towards preventing past injuries and losses
• Keeps businesses compliant with the regulations and standards of OSH and other safety agencies
• Provides talking points for recommendations from your company’s safety committee
• Helps businesses improve existing aerial safety programs to meet best practices
• Removes stress from conducting regular safety reviews of aerial platform operations
• Provides organization and eases inspection of aerial lift equipment

Drawing up and making use of the right aerial platform safety checklist keeps your workers safe and sustains business operations.

How Frequently Should an Aerial Platform Safety Inspection Take Place?

CSA Standards apply to aerial platform inspections in Canada and recommend a thorough check every 200 hours or by manufacturer’s recommendations. Section 5.3.3 of the CSA Standards also mandates annual inspections be performed on such equipment or after 700 hours of use.

Structural inspections of such equipment, according to CSA Standards, must be performed every 10 years after the machine’s manufacture date, and every 5-year period after.

A mechanic, qualified on the specific aerial equipment according to the outlined standards, must oversee such inspections to satisfy regulations.

Advanced Consulting & Training – AEWP/Boom Lift Training

Learning how to draft a comprehensive checklist for aerial platform safety is important to guarantee the best protection for employees. Trusting an experienced safety consulting company, like Advanced Consulting & Training, for the draft is a smart way to safeguard your employees working at heights.

Our workshop for aerial platform safety is designed for both experienced and inexperienced operators. To find out more about how working with Advanced Consulting & Training can bring you and your employees creates a safer workplace for all, contact us today!