Scissors Lift Fall Protection Questions
Jul 5, 2011
Recently a vigorous online discussion erupted over this question when it was asked on an online message board. When I last checked over 140 people had expressed a wide variety of fact and opinion. The question itself was simple to answer: “No, OSHA doesn’t require an employee to use fall protection when using a scissors lift (i.e., work platform that cannot be positioned completely beyond the base) if the guardrails are installed and the gates closed.” In fact, the scissors lift itself is a form of fall protection which protects workers from the hazards of working from portable ladders.
The question itself was simple to answer: “No, OSHA doesn’t require an employee to use fall protection when using a scissors lift (i.e., work platform that cannot be positioned completely beyond the base) if the guardrails are installed and the gates closed.” In fact, the scissors lift itself is a form of fall protection which protects workers from the hazards of working from portable ladders.