Posted By Robert K Lewis Jayne Scissor lift - No harness Cherry picker - Harness I know many disagree but the HSE have always taken the view that the straight up and down movement of a scissorlift does not pose the risks of pitching operatives out of the basket as does a cherry picker. By the way the current CDM regulations, nor the 2007 revised, make any prohibitions of the type you mention. Bob

Posted By garyh Hate to say it but do a risk assessment - setting out the elements of the job and the hazards etc should help to clarify things. I find this helps, even stating the obvious sparks things sometimes. I came across a situation where people worked in a MEWP on a wharf. The rule was to clip to the man basket - however the guy asked the (excellent) question of what if the MEWP went in the water?? How would he get out? In the end we balanced the risks by telling them to unclip within 2m of the waters edge and to keep the wheels at 90o to the water. They also had to at all times stay well within the basket, no leaning out etc. Was this the correct approach? Hmm I think so. Later the same well maintained MEWP went haywire - water in the control box!!! If it had been near the water's edge............... To summarise I think that you have to balance the relevant hazards, talk to the people on the job (they should have covered this in their training?), talk to the manufacturer, then make your decision. Good luck!

Posted By Phil If you are using a MEWP or scissor lift near water, if your guys quite rightly dont clip on when near enough to the water for it to enter, then they should also be wearing a PFD of at least 150N bouyancy. But as an above answer eluded to, it should all come out in the risk assesment. Dont forget your rescue plan and the added complication of suspension trauma when using harnesses. If you are using harnesses, your risk assesment should also rule out lone working. The construction company i work for in our intercompany rules always have a recue boat when men are working on, over, or near water. If the water is fast flowing we have a couple of SRT's in the boat too! If you do a robust RA, you shouldnt go far wrong. Dont however make the mistake of quoting " if in the event of an emergency dial 999 or 112" as the emergency services cant always help you. If you have special circumstances, you need to make your own special arrangements. Off soap box now Phil

Posted By JayJay Just thought i'd reply to one of the answers earlier ! If you don't need to wear safety harnesses in scissorlifts why do manufacturers install anchorage points ??? If you look at the HSE's guidance on Boom operated mewps it states that harnesses must be worn at all times, and i'm sure that it mentions scissorlifts too.I know someone will come back and say its only a recommendation,but we all know that guidance or recommendations can be used as evidence in a court of law and you've got to prove that you've equalled or bettered these guidances.

Posted By Kevin Drew The requirement for the wearing of safety harnesses with lanyards, etc in MEWPs is covered in HSE Operational Circular OC 314/19. As stated above the requirements are primarily aimed at "cherry pickers". For "scissor lifts" the need should be based upon risk assessment and "if the operator is at risk of falling, eg as a result of leaning over the guard rail". Hope this helps Kevin Drew

Posted By Robert K Lewis Derek et al The problem then is that if we take the view that harnesses are used on scissorlifts in case operatives lean over the handrails we would need the same logic for fixed scaffolds. The whole purpose of a scissorlift is to position the work platform to allow work at a comfortable height. If they are used for access and people are having to climb out exposing themselves to a fall then you have the wrong scissorlift. There are versions available with gates and these should be used. Bob

Posted By JayJay I agree with the comments regarding risk assessment when operatives are asked to use scissorlifts, but somebody mentioned earlier about the risk of the MEWP turning over and the operator wearing a safety harness. wether they are using a 'cherry picker' or 'scissorlift' if the machine turns over and they're wearing harnesses they will get seriously injured However, when using these machines it's recommended that they wear a harness and the appropriate lanyard i.e Restraint or Fall arrest. If you look at most anchorage points on a scissorlift it states ' Suitable for Restraint only'. The harness comes into effect if the scissorlift is struck by another vehicle, strikes a vehicle itself or whilst driving over uneven ground goes down a pothole. If using the right lanyard i.e a restraint it will stop the operator from being catapulted out and also when carrying out tasks it prevents him/her from climbing onto the handrail to reach a higher point.On the signage for scissorlifts too it normally shows a picture of 1 or 2 people wearing body harnesses, so again this is also the manufacturer recommending it.