MEWP pre-use checklist

Site: ______________________ Date: ____________ Checked by: ______________________

01Paperwork and people

Current AE certificate of test and examination available on site, with the safe working load shown. WSH (General Provisions) Regs, reg 21(1)-(3)
Safe working load and ID number clearly marked on the machine. WSH (General Provisions) Regs, reg 21(6)
Operator holds an accredited course certificate for this MEWP type and is 18 or over. WSH (General Provisions) Regs, reg 21(12)-(13)
Operator has been familiarised with this make and model. MOM MEWP circular 2012
Rescue plan written, and a named ground person knows the ground controls and emergency lowering.

02Site and ground

Site survey done by a competent person for this location.
Ground firm and within the maker's slope limit along the whole travel path.
No trenches, manholes, drain covers or soft backfill under wheels or outriggers.
Overhead beams, pipes and cables marked, and safe distance from power lines agreed.
Wind speed checked against the maker's limit.
Area round the machine cordoned off with warning signs, plus traffic control if vehicles pass.

03Machine checks

Pre-use inspection done to the maker's manual and recorded.
Guard-rails, entry gate and toe-boards complete and undamaged.
Platform and ground emergency stops and emergency lowering tested and working.
Tilt alarm, interlocks and other safety devices working, none bypassed or removed. MOM MEWP circular 2012
Outriggers extended and chocked, with spreader plates where the manual asks.
Any defect found: machine isolated, tagged and reported.

04In the basket

Everyone wears a full-body harness on a short lanyard clipped to the maker's anchor point. Code of Practice for Working Safely at Heights, 6.5.6
People, tools and materials within the safe working load and maximum occupant count.
Nobody stands on rails, and no ladders, boxes or buckets are used for extra height.
Nobody gets in or out of the basket at height.
Tools tethered or bagged and the platform floor kept clear.

05After use

Platform fully lowered and machine parked in the designated area.
Key removed and kept by the supervisor or operator.
Defects or near misses reported before the next shift.

Legal requirement

In Singapore a MEWP is a lifting machine under the WSH (General Provisions) Regulations. An Authorised Examiner must test and certify it before use and examine it at least once a year, or at the interval the Commissioner sets (reg 21). Only a trained and competent person may operate it (reg 21(12)). MOM's 2012 circular adds an accredited course for the MEWP type, familiarisation on each model, and warns that bypassing safety devices is an offence.

Sources and further reading

Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) Regulations, Singapore Statutes Online (AGC).
Safety Circular on Safe Use of Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP), 1 October 2012, Ministry of Manpower.
Guide for Safe Use of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, WSH Council.
Code of Practice for Working Safely at Heights, WSH Council.
Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), UK Health and Safety Executive.

This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.

MEWP pre-use checklist

01Paperwork and people

02Site and ground

03Machine checks

04In the basket

05After use

Sources and further reading

Related reading

MEWPs: what supervisors need to know

Toolbox talk: MEWPs

How to report a workplace accident in Bangladesh