Most access equipment incidents don't start at height. They start on the ground, in the five minutes before the machine goes up — the five minutes nobody bothered with.
A pre-use inspection isn't paperwork. It's the last chance to catch a fault before it becomes an incident. Here's how to do it properly.
What Is a Pre-Use Inspection?
A pre-use inspection is a short, structured check carried out by the operator at the start of every shift, on every machine, before any work at height begins. It has three parts: a ground walkaround, a function test, and a site assessment.
It's separate from the periodic service and load test carried out by the supplier. Those confirm the machine was safe when it left the yard. The pre-use check confirms it's safe today — after transport, after the previous shift, after a night in the open.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Driven Machinery Regulations, both the employer and the operator carry responsibility for ensuring equipment is safe before use.
The Ground Walkaround
Before you step onto the platform, walk the machine:
- Tyres and tracks — cuts, embedded debris, correct inflation, track tension on rough terrain units
- Fluids and leaks — hydraulic oil, engine oil, coolant, fuel. Then look at the ground underneath. A puddle is a stop-work condition until it's diagnosed
- Structure and welds — chassis, outriggers, boom sections, scissor stack. Look for cracks, dents, deformation, especially at weld seams
- Hoses and cylinders — chafing, bulging, cracking, weeping seals. A hose that fails at height isn't recoverable
- Battery — charge level, terminal corrosion, secure connections. A machine that dies mid-lift becomes a rescue
- Guardrails, gates and anchor points — rails secure, gate latching and self-closing, harness points undamaged
- Decals and load chart — if the safe working load plate is missing or illegible, the machine can't be used
The Function Test
Run the machine through its motions at ground level, in a clear area, before anyone works at height.
- Test both control stations — platform and ground. Both must work. The ground controls are your rescue mechanism if the operator is incapacitated
- Test the emergency stop on both stations. It must kill all function immediately
- Test the emergency lowering system. Know it works before you need it
- Raise and lower through the full range, watching for jerking, drift or unusual noise
- Test the tilt alarm, pothole protection, horn and beacon
If anything is sluggish, noisy or unresponsive — stop, report it, take the machine out of service. Don't work around it.
The Site Assessment
The machine can be perfect and the job still unsafe:
- Ground conditions: Firm, level, and able to carry the point loading. Watch for trenches, service covers, backfill and soft edges — outriggers concentrate enormous load into a small footprint
- Overhead hazards: Power lines, beams, ducting, signage. Maintain legal clearance from live conductors
- Wind: Every MEWP has a maximum operating wind speed. Boom lifts become unstable long before you'd expect. Check the manufacturer's rating, not your instinct
- Traffic and pedestrians: Barrier off the working area before you lift
Who's Allowed to Operate?
Only a trained, certificated operator. Familiarity is not training, and a machine handover isn't a course.
Certification is machine-class specific — a scissor lift ticket doesn't authorise a boom lift. Keep certificates current and on site.
A trained ground person should always be present. If the operator is injured or unconscious at height, someone has to be able to bring them down.
Every Machine We Hire Out Is Ready to Work
Every unit in the SOS fleet is serviced, load-tested and certified before it leaves our yard, and we brief every operator on the machine they're taking. We also arrange operator training for teams who need it.
