Aerial lift and MEWP inspection app
MEWP pre-start checks before every shift, from the operator's own phone.
An aerial lift inspection app records the operator's pre-start check on a scissor lift or boom lift before each shift. With CheckBadges, every lift gets a QR sticker: the operator scans it with their phone's camera and completes the check in the browser, with no app or login. Defects email you with photos and warn the next operator until the lift is marked fixed.
- Your operators need
- Their phone's camera. No app, account or password.
- On each machine
- A printed QR sticker that opens its checklist.
- Checklists
- Ready-made for forklifts, lifts, loaders and vehicles, or your own.
- When something's wrong
- You get an email with what's wrong and photos.
- Price
- Free for 3 machines. Then $9/mo + $1.50 per machine.
- Records
- Every check, by machine. Print it or export a CSV.
What a MEWP pre-start inspection covers
A MEWP pre-start inspection is the operator's check of a scissor lift or boom lift before using it on a shift: guardrails and gate, platform, ground and platform controls, emergency stop and emergency lowering, tires, hydraulics, tilt alarm and outriggers, and the work area. The ANSI A92 standards, as summarized by manufacturers and SAIA, call for three levels of inspection:
- A pre-start inspection by the operator before use on each shift.
- A frequent inspection by a qualified person every 3 months or 150 hours, whichever comes first.
- An annual inspection by a qualified person no later than 13 months after the last one.
OSHA's rules are older and shorter. For boom-type aerial lifts, "Lift controls shall be tested each day prior to use to determine that such controls are in safe working condition" (29 CFR 1926.453(b)(2)(i)). OSHA says "Many scissor lifts are covered under OSHA's Scaffolding standard", which calls for an inspection for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift. The MEWP inspection requirements guide covers both; check the current text and your manufacturer's manual.
How it works on a lift
- Add your lifts: "Scissor 19 ft #4", "Boom 60 ft yard 2".
- Start from the scissor and boom lift template: guardrails, gate and toe boards; platform floor; ground and platform controls; emergency stop and emergency lowering; tires and wheels; hydraulic leaks; tilt alarm and outriggers (with N/A for lifts that have none); battery or fuel; and the work area. Or use the longer scissor lift or boom lift checklists, matched to the manufacturer's manual.
- Stick the QR sticker at the ground controls or the platform entrance, where the operator stands before going up.
- The operator scans and checks from their phone, with their name or PIN, before the first lift of the shift.
When a lift fails its pre-start
A failed pre-start reaches you while the lift is still on the ground. The operator marks the item Problem (a gate that won't latch, a silent tilt alarm, a weeping cylinder), describes it and adds up to three photos. Your alert list gets an email at once and the lift shows red on your dashboard. CheckBadges also shows the open problem to the next operator who scans that lift, until you mark it fixed with a note. Tag it out in the meantime with a printed out-of-service tag.
For rental fleets and contractors
Rental fleets and contractors share one problem: the person running the lift often doesn't work for you. CheckBadges doesn't ask them to have an account.
- Rental companies can sticker every unit and run a dated check, with photos of any damage, when a lift goes out and when it comes back. Each unit builds its own history. (CheckBadges doesn't track where a unit is or who has it; it records the checks.)
- Customers' and subcontractors' operators scan the sticker and check without downloading anything. If you'd rather only named people submit, turn on operator PINs and give each person their own.
- Contractors renting lifts can add the rented unit for the job, stick on a sticker, and archive it when it goes back. Archived machines keep their history, and pricing counts only active machines.
More on this in equipment rental.
Aerial lift inspection options compared
| CheckBadges | Paper pre-start sheet | Online forms | MEWP and inspection apps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator setup | None | None | None | App and login |
| Rented-in or subcontractor operators | Scan and check | Yes | Yes | Need accounts |
| Defect reported | Email with photos, at once | When the sheet is found | Only with alerts set up | Yes |
| Next operator warned | Yes, until fixed | If they read back | No | Varies |
| Schedules frequent and annual inspections | No | No | No | Some |
| Pricing | Per machine | Paper | Free or per account | Usually per user |
What it costs
Up to 3 lifts are free, with every feature. Pro is $9 a month for the first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that: $19.50 a month for 10 lifts and $42 for 25. Operators are unlimited, so a subcontractor crew of twenty costs nothing extra. See pricing.
When CheckBadges isn't the right fit
- Frequent and annual inspections on a schedule. You can build a checklist for your qualified person to use, but nothing schedules those inspections or reminds you when one is due.
- No signal. Basements, plant rooms and new buildings without coverage are a problem: checks need a data connection to submit.
- Telematics and lockouts. CheckBadges can't stop a lift operating after a failed check, and it reads no data from the machine.
- Rental management and enterprise IT. No contracts, check-out, billing, work orders, single sign-on or integrations.
Frequently asked questions
How often does an aerial lift need to be inspected?
The operator does a pre-start inspection before use on each shift. The ANSI A92 standards, as summarized by manufacturers and SAIA, also call for a frequent inspection every 3 months or 150 hours and an annual inspection within 13 months, both by a qualified person. OSHA requires boom lift controls to be tested each day before use.
Is a scissor lift an aerial lift under OSHA?
Not usually. OSHA says many scissor lifts are covered by its scaffolding standard rather than the aerial lift rule, which means an inspection for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift. Boom lifts fall under the aerial lift rule, 29 CFR 1926.453.
Can renters' operators do the pre-start without an account?
Yes. With CheckBadges the operator scans the lift's sticker with their own phone and completes the check in the browser, with no app, account or password. The check is filed under that lift in the owner's account, with the name or PIN the operator entered.
Where should the QR sticker go on a scissor lift?
At the ground controls or by the platform entry gate, where the operator stands before the first lift. Keep it out of pressure-washer spray, and use weatherproof label stock or a laminate pouch on lifts that work outdoors.
Keep reading
- Scissor lift inspection checklistFree scissor lift pre-use inspection checklist: guardrails, gate, controls, emergency stop and lowering, pothole guards, tilt alarm and tires. Print or use QR.
- Boom lift inspection checklistFree boom lift pre-start inspection checklist for articulating and telescopic booms: boom, jib, turntable, platform, anchors, controls and emergency lowering.
- MEWP inspection requirementsMEWPs need an operator pre-start check each shift, a frequent inspection every 3 months or 150 hours, and an annual one. ANSI A92 and OSHA rules explained.
- Scissor lift inspection rulesOSHA covers many scissor lifts under its scaffold rules: a competent person inspects before each shift. Plus ANSI pre-start, frequent and annual inspections.
- Equipment rentalRental equipment inspections on a QR sticker: a dated, photographed condition check each time a machine goes out and comes back. No app or login needed.
- Aerial lift inspection checklistFree aerial lift and MEWP pre-use inspection checklist for scissor and boom lifts, plus the ANSI A92 pre-start, frequent and annual inspections explained.
Every machine checked, with one scan.
Stick a QR code on every machine and operators do the pre-use check on their own phone — no app, no login. Free for up to 3 machines; try it with your real machines before you sign up.