We have recently purchased a Man Basket that can be attached to our Forklift for ad hoc, low risk, short time period working at height activities. I have suggested that a harness is not required, as a MEWP, I am treating it in a similair fashion to a scissor lift rather than, say, a cherry picker due to movement of it on a FLT. Someone in my team disagrees and suggests we should have one. What are your thoughts?

First of all I can't resist suggesting that probably you shouldn't have it at all.  These are only meant to be for exceptional circumstances where you cannot use safer access such as a scissor lift or cherry-picker, not just because it may be convenient.

I would expect the manufacturer's manual to contain instructions for use which would indicate what precautions are suitable.

The reason for requiring a restraint in a cherrypicker and not a scissor lift is the greater range of movement of a cherrypicker which could jerk a person out, unlike the scissor lift which can only boringly go up and down.  The forklift doesn't just go up and down so I suggest it resembles the cherrypicker case more than the scissor lift case.

Edited by user 15 March 2018 11:36:44(UTC)  | Reason: corrected last phrase

From your comments it sounds like you have purchased the wrong bit of kit. As per previous posts, these are only meant for use in EXCEPITONAL circumstances and ad hoc, low risk,short time period doesn't really equal exceptional. I would suggest you read the link posted by Andrew Walker above and have a think about the suitability of your new purchase.

If however you are still of a mind to continue using the man basket on a forklift, If the forklift is not a tele-handler where you have a fulcrum effect and If the tilt and sideshift levers are inoperable as they should be and If the forklift is stationary, i.e. the forklift is not driven with a worker in the basket and If the surface is flat and level then there is no need for a harness and lanyard UNLESS the worker in the basket has to reach outside the basket.

Originally Posted by: Callum Maclean

We have recently purchased a Man Basket that can be attached to our Forklift for ad hoc, low risk, short time period working at height activities.

Edited by user 15 March 2018 16:20:44(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

More information here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/pm28.pdf

Regards

QS

The lifting equipment insurance inspector required us to clearly identify the harness hook-ons for our "simple cage" and attach clear unambiguous instructions for use.

This was from two different insurers at two different employers

I would advise against the use of the forklift; you need to ensure that the Insurance company will cover this activity, that the forlkift has had a 6 monthly inspection (as it is lifting persons) that there are guards in place to prevent any interactions with the forklift mast., the list goes on the more that you look at it.

We get the idea that these are not a good thing, however, it was a question. I have seen and used these for different tasks in the past, but not for a long time. Some cages have a door that opens inwards with a self-locking device, designed to keep people within the cage, if people are contained within the cage then a harness would not normally be needed. 

It maybe that the cage is the open style which allows a person to lean over the cage (for example to relocate precarious overhanging goods) or the person may get out of the cage to gain access to a platform, in this case a harness may well be required.

So… dependant on the ‘working at height activities’ that is being conducted or the design of the cage,  will determine the risk control measures. As a previous poster has indicated, I may be the case that all your FLT have to drop down to six monthly inspections, unless you can guarantee that only one FLT will be used for the lifting operation of the man cage.

Judging by the Advice already given you have probably decided to send this bit of kit back to the suppliers which is probably the best advice you could get regarding man cages. 

Regards Frank