Use of MEWPs risk assessment template

A MEWP risk assessment should explain why a particular mobile elevating work platform is suitable for the job and site, then control overturning, entrapment, falls, collisions and rescue through the whole operation. Use this fillable template for a planned task, not as permission to operate a machine. A competent person must verify the actual platform type, ground or supporting structure, outreach, working height, load, overhead hazards, operator competence, inspection status and emergency arrangements before use.

The HSE MEWP guidance identifies entrapment, overturning, falling and collision as the main serious hazards. A green tick beside “IPAF card” does not answer whether the chosen machine can reach the work without being positioned over a manhole or whether anyone on the ground can rescue an injured operator. The assessment must address the task and environment as well as the equipment.

This page is a powered-access worksheet. The broader risk assessment software page describes record management, while the RAMS overview covers construction method documents. Neither is evidence that Complys chooses a MEWP or approves the manufacturer's operating envelope.

First decide whether a MEWP is the right access method

Can the work be done from ground level, at another construction stage or with a different method that avoids the height? If not, a MEWP may provide a protected platform, but select its class, dimensions and capacity for the actual reach, load, terrain, access width, floor or ground support, emissions/ventilation, and planned task. HSE's selection and management sheet GEIS6 asks what work will be done, at what stage, what the supporting conditions will be, and how the machine will be delivered and collected.

Identify overhead services, steelwork, pipework and projections where an operator could be trapped against controls. Check whether the operating area overlaps moving vehicles, pedestrians, public access or another trade. Weather, wind, gradients, trenches, recently backfilled areas and slabs with voids can change the decision. If the design or capacity of the supporting surface is unknown, stop and obtain competent evidence. Do not guess a safe load from appearance.

Copyable MEWP risk assessment

A. Task and machine

B. Hazard and control record

The control column should identify the actual arrangement, its owner and how it will be checked. “PPE”, “trained operator” or “use spotter” alone is too vague.

C. Rescue and stop-work plan

HSE says to have and practise a rescue plan, and that someone on the ground should know how to operate the machine's ground controls. A sentence saying “call emergency services” is not a complete plan for a basket occupant trapped against a structure.

D. Briefing, approval and review

Record the current RAMS or method statement version, the crew and other trades briefed, pre-use check date, the person confirming ground information, and the supervisor who authorises the start. Review if the machine, task, location, crew, ground, weather or neighbouring work changes; after a defect, near miss or failed control; and before reusing a machine after a material change. Capture the revised decision, not just a new date.

Controls that need a project-specific answer

Ground and overturning

Use on firm, level ground within the manufacturer limits. Inspect local features such as manholes, trenches, cellars, uncompacted fill and temporary covers. HSE warns these can cause overturning. Confirm who supplied the bearing-capacity information and whether spreader plates or outriggers are required by the machine and ground arrangement. Where a slab or platform supports the MEWP, refer to the designer's load information, not an assumption based on how the floor looks. Check again after rain, excavation or relocation.

Entrapment, collision and pedestrian interface

Plan a route and working position that avoid crushing an operator between the basket and fixed structures. Consider whether a different machine or protected controls are needed. Brief the operator on the specific overhead features and stop points; a generic “look up” instruction is insufficient. Segregate the moving machine and work zone from people below, coordinate with other plant and trades, and prevent dropped tools/materials. HSE's entrapment safety alert calls for equipment selection, operator/machine-specific training and prepared rescue arrangements.

Falls, platform use and weather

Use the guardrails and platform as designed. Do not stand on rails, use a ladder in the basket or lean outside to gain extra reach. Decide fall-restraint or other protection based on the machine and task, with a suitable manufacturer-provided anchor point where applicable; do not impose a blanket harness rule without assessing the platform type and manufacturer's instructions. Account for wind and weather limits and the effect of carrying large sheets or panels that may act like sails. Keep within the rated platform load, including people, tools and materials.

Competence, inspection and defects

Verify that operators are trained for the relevant type and familiarised with the specific machine. Check the pre-use inspection, maintenance and any required thorough examination record under applicable lifting-equipment arrangements. Remove a defective machine from use and report it through the agreed process. A valid card does not prove the machine has been inspected or that a particular worker understands its ground controls and rescue arrangements.

Example: scissor lift inside a refurbishment hall

The task is to install ceiling services in a hall while other trades enter by the same door. A scissor lift can reach the ceiling, but the proposed route crosses a floor trench covered temporarily. The team obtains load information for the cover, changes the travel route, marks the exclusion area and coordinates deliveries so pedestrians are separated during movement. The operator is familiarised with that model. A trained person on the ground verifies the emergency-lowering procedure. When another trade later opens a ceiling void next to the working position, the team pauses and reassesses the overhead entrapment and falling-object risks before restarting.

The example is deliberately not a platform selection or load calculation. The real task needs its own engineering and manufacturer data.

Where Complys fits

Keep the completed risk assessment, action owners, revision and briefing record together with the task RAMS. The risk assessment software page describes general assessment management; the RAMS page covers construction documentation. Complys should not be described as assessing ground bearing capacity, selecting equipment, certifying operators, checking LOLER records automatically or approving a rescue method without implementation proof. Competent site decisions remain with the dutyholders.

Next step: fill the task/machine fields, obtain the ground and support evidence, verify the machine/operator/rescue arrangements, then brief the crew and approve the location-specific assessment before the MEWP is moved into position.

Source, claim and writer-side QA register — checked 5 October 2026

Cannibalisation: no exact Complys fillable MEWP assessment owner observed; general risk/RAMS pages are broader. Verify the current repository, unpublished material and route before creation. Product truth: no automated engineering, inspection or rescue approval claim. Jurisdiction: GB. Links/metadata: observed .co.uk product destinations, distinct worksheet title and CTA; implementation check remains. Writer-side QA: direct answer, fillable form, ground/entrapment/rescue detail, example, primary sources and stop gates. Independent whole-page and competent powered-access review remain outstanding.