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Safety Training for Scissor Lifts

In a letter from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to Kokosing Construction Company Inc. dated August 1, 2000, OSHA indicated there are no specific requirements for scissor lifts. The OSHA further indicated that scissor lifts are synonymous with scaffolds, and therefore 29 CFR 1926.454, Training Requirements, applies.

  1. General Provisions

    • Employees who work while on a scaffold (scissor lift) must be trained by a qualified person. This training must include recognizing "the hazards associated with the type of scaffold being used and to understand the procedures to control or minimize those hazards."

    Fall Hazards

    • Employees must be trained to recognize "fall hazards and falling object hazards in the work area."
      Training for "erecting, maintaining, and disassembling the fall protection systems and falling object protection systems" are also required.

    Electrical Hazards

    • Recognizing and dealing with electrical hazards, including distance from hazard and movement of a mobile scaffold (scissor lift) must be included in this training.

    Operation

    • Employees must learn to properly operate the scaffold (scissor lift) and to properly handle the materials on the scaffold, such as using safety straps.

    Load

    • Operators must be trained to know what the "maximum intended load and the load-carrying capacities of the scaffolds" are.

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