A regulation change by OSHA in 2003 all but banned lift platforms. Are you still using them? Many are. Do you have the required written approval? Can you even get it? Download our illustrated safety alert for the latest details on how to handle this issue.
Lift platforms, sometimes called safety platforms, are essentially work platforms attached to a forklift and used to raise personnel. Think of them as a poor man’s aerial lift. Such platforms are in common use and range in our experience from commercially produced and well designed to homemade models that would not even pass for a good deer stand. Since May 1971 OSHA permitted elevation of personnel by a “safety platform firmly secured to the lifting carriage and/or forks” of the powered truck as long as there was adequate protection from falling objects and a means for personnel on the platform to shut off power to the truck.
The problem is that on 6/2/03, this portion of the standard was “removed and reserved” by OSHA. To the untrained eye, it implies that OSHA no longer regulates the activity, but with several questions on this lately, we called the OSHA compliance hotline (301-515-6796) and asked.
In short, since mid-2003 wholesale use of these platforms has been effectively banned since OSHA requires manufacturer approval, and our research indicates that nearly none of them will give it. Without written approval in hand for each platform, you are 100% out of compliance. There’s a slim chance with certain manufacturers and models, but with shop-fabricated or “homemade” units, chances of approval are zero. OSHA will cite for this under both the General Duty Clause and fall protection standards depending on the situation, and should you be defending against an injury or fatality claim, lacking the required approval you are defenseless and very possibly negligent. Discuss this with your loss prevention and safety personnel, and contact your truck manufacturer for confirmation.
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