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Maintaining your powered access platform is crucial in order to ensure the safety of your employees but also to ensure it is performing at its best.
Powered access platforms, otherwise known as MEWPs, must be inspected and maintained regularly to ensure they are fit for purpose, fully compliant with UK health and safety legislation and most importantly safe for users.
There are a few different ways to maintain your powered access platform, which includes:
Before every use, all operators must complete a pre-use inspection to ensure the machinery is in correct working order. All required pre-operation checks should be outlined in the manual and will involve visual and functional checks.
Regular checks should be made on your MEWPs to ensure the machinery isn’t deteriorating or in need of serious repairs. If your machinery has had more extensive use than normal, more regular checks should be done.
In accordance with legislation, all MEWPs and powered access equipment must be thoroughly inspected and examined by a competent person at least every six months.
This is will include a number of things, including:
Failure to comply with relevant legislation may result in fines or imprisonment, as well as serious injury or death of workers.
It is important to have procedures in place that allow workers to easily and quickly declare any defects or problems as soon as they are spotted. Depending on the severity of the issue, they should be resolved in a timely manner. If there is any chance the MEWP is not fit for use after the defects have been spotted then it should not be used.
There are a number of reasons why it is important to maintain MEWPs, including:
All employers in the UK must take the appropriate measures to ensure they protect their employees while they are at work and minimise the risk of injury, in accordance with the following legislation.
Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act states that employers are responsible for ensuring the safety of their employees, which includes maintaining equipment.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations requires the prevention of the risks associated with workplace equipment. It states that equipment must only be selected if it is safe and suitable for purpose and all maintenance work has been carried out by trained personnel to ensure the equipment is safe and in good repair. Even though it is not a legal requirement – maintenance logs should be kept up-to-date.
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations is there to ensure the safe use of lifting equipment. Ensuring it is well planned, organised and executed by competent personnel. It states work equipment must be regularly inspected and thoroughly examined.
To create a safe working environment
Working from height is one of the leading causes of death in the workplace. Legislation aside, it is important to keep people safe when they are working at height. It is crucial to ensure that the equipment they are using is fully maintained and that whoever is using the equipment has adequate training.
Maintaining your equipment ensures that it is working and operating correctly.
Keeping your MEWP properly maintained and serviced can help reduce pricey repair bills in the future by identifying issues before they become major repair jobs.
Make sure to always plan ahead and ensure you are on-time with your maintenance inspections and checks. At Star Platforms, all of our platforms are rigorously tested and maintained in line with regulations. If you’re looking for more information, then please get in touch.
If you’re ready to purchase or hire powered access platforms, then you’re in the right place. At Star Platforms, we have new and used access platforms for hire and for purchase. If you’re looking to hire, we have cherry pickers, a scissor lift, or a low-level platform to choose from—we have over 3,700 powered access machines in our fleet and access to over 10,000 platforms nationally. If you need help choosing the right solution for your needs and requirements, then our team at Star Platforms can help – get in touch today.
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