Compliance
MEWP inspection requirements: pre-start, frequent and annual
By the CheckBadges team · Updated · 6 min read
The short answer
The ANSI A92.22 and A92.24 standards, as manufacturers summarize them, call for an operator pre-start inspection and function tests before each shift, a frequent inspection by a qualified mechanic every 3 months or 150 hours, whichever comes first, and an annual inspection no later than 13 months after the last. OSHA separately requires boom lift controls to be tested each day before use.
Key takeaways
- Operators do a pre-start inspection, function tests and a workplace check before each shift.
- A qualified mechanic does a frequent inspection every 3 months or 150 hours, whichever comes first.
- The annual inspection is due no later than 13 months after the previous one.
- OSHA requires boom lift controls to be tested each day before use (29 CFR 1926.453).
- The ANSI intervals are consensus standards; OSHA's aerial lift rule still cites ANSI A92.2-1969.
The four MEWP inspections
A mobile elevating work platform, or MEWP (the industry's term for boom lifts and scissor lifts), gets four kinds of inspection: a pre-start check each shift, a workplace check before use, a frequent inspection every few months and an annual inspection. The intervals come from ANSI/SAIA A92.22 (safe use) and A92.24 (training), which took effect in the US in 2020. OSHA's own rule adds a daily controls test for boom lifts.
| Inspection | When | Who | Written record | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-start inspection and function tests | Before use, each shift | The operator | Recommended; check your manual and site rules | ANSI A92.22; the manufacturer's manual |
| Workplace inspection | Before moving the MEWP to the work area | The operator | Recommended | ANSI A92.22; the manufacturer's manual |
| Lift controls test (boom lifts) | Each day before use | The operator | Not required | OSHA 1926.453(b)(2)(i) and 1910.67(c)(2)(i) |
| Frequent inspection | Every 3 months or 150 hours, whichever comes first; also for machines bought used or back from a long time out of service | A qualified mechanic for that type of MEWP | Yes | ANSI A92.22, as manufacturers summarize it |
| Annual inspection | No later than 13 months after the previous annual inspection | A qualified mechanic for that type of MEWP | Yes | ANSI A92.22, as manufacturers summarize it |
The intervals in the last two rows are as the manufacturer Genie summarizes them: a frequent inspection applies to a unit "that has been in service for three months, or 150 hours, whichever comes first", and the annual inspection is due "no later than thirteen (13) months from the date of the prior annual inspection." The standards themselves are sold by ANSI, so check the current edition and your operator's manual for the exact wording.
What OSHA requires for aerial lifts
OSHA requires the lift controls of boom platforms to be tested every day before use: "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)). General industry has the same sentence in 1910.67(c)(2)(i). The construction rule also says:
- "Only authorized persons shall operate an aerial lift" ((b)(2)(ii)).
- Boom and basket load limits specified by the manufacturer must not be exceeded ((b)(2)(vi)).
- Brakes are set, outriggers sit on pads or a solid surface, and wheel chocks go in on an incline where they can be installed safely ((b)(2)(vii)).
- Before the lift is moved for travel, the boom is inspected "to see that it is properly cradled and outriggers are in stowed position" ((b)(2)(xii)).
Section 1926.453 covers vehicle-mounted aerial devices used to elevate personnel: extensible and articulating boom platforms, aerial ladders, vertical towers and combinations of them. Scissor lifts are mostly treated as mobile scaffolds instead, with a competent-person inspection before each shift; see scissor lift inspection requirements.
OSHA's rule still refers to ANSI A92.2-1969, and OSHA hasn't adopted A92.22 or A92.24 as regulations. That doesn't make them irrelevant. They're the industry's agreed practice, manufacturers' inspection programs use the same intervals, and the General Duty Clause lets OSHA cite recognized hazards that no specific rule covers.
The pre-start inspection: what operators check
The pre-start inspection is the operator's job before every shift, in three parts. Genie's operator guidance describes them: the pre-operation inspection "is a visual inspection performed by the operator prior to each work shift"; function tests "are designed to discover any malfunctions before the aerial platform is put into service"; and the workplace inspection "should be performed by the operator prior to moving the aerial work platform to the work place."
A typical pre-start covers:
- Paperwork and labels: the operator's manual on board, decals and the capacity plate legible, frequent and annual inspections in date.
- Platform: guardrails, midrails, toeboards and the entry gate or chain; the platform floor; fall protection anchorage points on boom lifts.
- Structure: booms or scissor arms, pins and retainers, welds and wear pads, with no cracks, bends or missing fasteners.
- Hydraulics and power: hoses and fittings free of leaks, fluid level, battery charge and connections, or fuel and engine fluids.
- Wheels and base: tires and wheels, outriggers or stabilizers, pothole guards where fitted.
- Function tests: ground and platform controls, the emergency stop at both stations, emergency lowering, drive, steer and brakes, the tilt alarm, descent and motion alarms, the horn, and the overload system where fitted.
- Workplace: drop-offs and holes, slopes and soft ground, overhead obstructions, power lines, wind and weather, and other traffic.
Your manufacturer's list for each model comes first. Our boom lift, scissor lift and aerial lift checklists are a starting point to edit.
Frequent and annual inspections
Frequent and annual inspections are the deeper checks, done by a qualified mechanic and recorded. Genie puts the qualification plainly: the annual inspection "needs to be done by a person(s) qualified as a mechanic on the specific type of aerial platform." The operator's pre-start doesn't replace either one.
The frequent inspection is due every 3 months or 150 hours of use, whichever comes first, so a hard-working machine can need one sooner than the calendar suggests. Read the hour meter as part of the pre-start and you'll see it coming. A machine bought used, or returning from a long period out of service, gets a frequent inspection before it goes to work.
The annual inspection is the most thorough, following the manufacturer's annual procedure, and it's due no later than 13 months after the last one. Both are written up. How long to keep those records is set by the standard and your manufacturer, so check both; keeping them for as long as you own the machine is the simplest policy.
Who is qualified to inspect a MEWP
Three people share the work. The operator does the pre-start, the function tests and the workplace inspection, and must be trained and authorized: OSHA allows only "authorized persons" to operate an aerial lift, and A92.24 sets the training. A qualified mechanic for that make and type does the frequent and annual inspections. The employer decides who's authorized, keeps the records and makes sure a machine that fails comes out of service.
On construction sites, that last duty is a rule: equipment that doesn't comply "shall either be identified as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or shall be physically removed from its place of operation" (1926.20(b)(3)). Lower the platform, tag the controls with an out-of-service tag, take the key and report it.
Renting a MEWP: who inspects what
A rented MEWP still needs every inspection; the question is who does which. Before the machine goes to work, ask the rental company for the dates of the last frequent and annual inspections, and agree in writing who does the next one if the hire runs long enough for one to fall due. The pre-start, the function tests and the workplace inspection stay with your operator every shift, whoever owns the machine. More on that split in equipment rental.
MEWPs outside the US
The UK treats MEWPs as lifting equipment for lifting people, so LOLER requires a thorough examination by a competent person at least every 6 months, or under an examination scheme, on top of the operator's pre-use checks. See LOLER thorough examinations.
Pre-start checks on a phone
CheckBadges has a starter checklist for scissor and boom lifts. Each machine gets a QR sticker by the platform controls; the operator scans it with their own phone, with no app or login, and does that machine's pre-start in the browser. Add a number question for the hour meter and you have the hours that decide the frequent inspection. A problem needs a note and can carry photos, emails you at once, and shows to the next operator who scans that lift until it's marked fixed. It records the daily checks; it doesn't schedule the frequent or annual inspections for you.
Frequently asked questions
How often should aerial lifts be inspected?
Before each shift by the operator, and OSHA requires boom lift controls to be tested each day before use. Under the ANSI A92 standards, as manufacturers summarize them, a qualified mechanic also does a frequent inspection every 3 months or 150 hours, whichever comes first, and an annual inspection no more than 13 months after the last.
Is ANSI A92.22 an OSHA requirement?
No. ANSI/SAIA A92.22 and A92.24 are consensus standards, not OSHA regulations, and OSHA's aerial lift rule still refers to ANSI A92.2-1969. They're still the industry's agreed practice, manufacturers use the same inspection intervals, and OSHA can cite recognized hazards under the General Duty Clause.
Who can perform a MEWP annual inspection?
A person qualified as a mechanic on that specific type of MEWP, as the manufacturer Genie puts it. The operator's pre-start inspection doesn't replace it, and the result is recorded.
Do MEWP pre-start inspections have to be written down?
OSHA doesn't require a written record of the daily controls test, and whether the pre-start must be recorded depends on your manufacturer, rental contract and site rules. Recording it is the easiest way to show it was done; the frequent and annual inspections are always recorded.
What is a MEWP frequent inspection?
A more detailed inspection by a qualified mechanic, due when a machine has been in service 3 months or 150 hours, whichever comes first, and before a machine bought used or back from a long time out of service goes to work. It follows the manufacturer's procedure and is recorded.
Keep reading
- 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.
- Boom lift inspection checklistFree boom lift pre-start inspection checklist for articulating and telescopic booms: boom, jib, turntable, platform, anchors, controls and emergency lowering.
- 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.
- Aerial lift inspection appAn aerial lift inspection app for MEWP pre-start checks: scan the QR sticker on a scissor or boom lift and check on any phone, no app or login. Defects email you.
- OSHA equipment inspection rulesHow often OSHA requires forklifts, lifts, scaffolds, cranes, slings, ladders, harnesses and extinguishers to be inspected, by whom, and which need records.
- LOLER thorough examinationsLOLER thorough examination intervals: 6 months for accessories and kit that lifts people, 12 months for other lifting equipment, or an examination scheme.
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.