Scissor Lift Operator Training
Scissor lift training built on OSHA's scaffold rules and ANSI A92: guardrails, tip-over and collapse hazards, and a hands-on evaluation on your lifts.
What to Expect
Scissor lifts look simple, which is why crews get casual with them. The serious incidents are falls when a worker stands on or climbs the guardrails, tip-overs from driving onto soft ground, potholes or slopes while raised, and crushing against ceilings and structures. Our course teaches operators to inspect, set up and run the lift, and to recognize the conditions that put it over.
- Standards
- OSHA treats scissor lifts as mobile scaffolds: 29 CFR 1926.451, 1926.452(w) and the scaffold training rule 1926.454; ANSI/SAIA A92.22 and A92.24 (MEWP Group A)
- Who needs it
- Anyone who operates or works from a scissor lift, and supervisors who direct the work
- Fall protection
- Properly maintained guardrails; OSHA's scaffold rules require fall protection above 10 feet (1926.451(g)(1))
- Format
- Onsite at your job site, yard or facility, on your own equipment: classroom instruction, hands-on practice and an evaluation on the machine.
Why scissor lifts fall under the scaffold standard
OSHA has said scissor lifts are not aerial lifts under 1926.453. They meet the definition of a scaffold, and because they move, the mobile scaffold requirements in 1926.452(w) apply. That makes the scaffold training rule, 1926.454(a), the core requirement: each worker must be trained by a person qualified in the subject to recognize the hazards of the scaffold and the procedures to control them, including electrical, fall and falling-object hazards, proper use, material handling and the lift's maximum intended load.
The hazards the course focuses on
OSHA's scissor lift hazard alert (OSHA 3842, "Working Safely with Scissor Lifts") tells employers to control three things: fall protection, stabilization and positioning. Operators practice checking the guardrails and gate, setting up on firm, level ground away from drop-offs, holes, slopes and debris, respecting the rated load and wind limits, and positioning the lift clear of ceilings, structures and energized power lines.
What the course covers
- Pre-start inspection and function test of platform and ground controls
- Guardrails and gate: never standing on or climbing the rails
- Ground conditions, slopes, holes and drop-offs
- Rated load, material on the platform and wind limits
- Crushing against ceilings, beams and structures
- Overhead power lines and electrical hazards
- Emergency lowering and rescue procedures
- Familiarization on your scissor lift models
- Covers OSHA Scaffold Training (1926.454)
- Built on ANSI A92
- Tip-Over & Crush Prevention
- Emergency Lowering Practice
- Hands-On Evaluation
- Proof of Training Records
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Other courses we deliver
- Aerial Lift TrainingMEWP operator training for scissor lifts and boom lifts, built on ANSI A92.22 and A92.24 and the OSHA rules, with hands-on evaluation on your lifts.
- Boom Lift TrainingBoom lift training for articulating and telescopic booms: OSHA 1926.453, harness and lanyard use, stability and a hands-on evaluation on your lifts.
- Telehandler TrainingTelehandler training built on OSHA's forklift rule, 1910.178(l): load charts, boom stability, rough terrain and a practical evaluation on your machine.
What Our Clients Said
- Expert Safety Training
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- OSHA Compliance Support
- Industrial Hygiene Surveys
- Onsite Safety Inspections
- Written Safety Program Development
“Brad and his team are very helpful and knowledgeable. They came to our job site and conducted safety training that was not only thorough and compliant, but genuinely engaging for our crew. I highly recommend BHG Heavy Equipment to any company that takes workplace safety seriously.”
Scissor Lift Training Questions
We get a lot of the same great questions from new clients. Here are the answers to the ones we hear most often — if yours isn't listed, don't hesitate to reach out directly.
Onsite Safety Training Session