How to operate a scissor lift — step by step (Australia)

Step 1 — Do the pre-start inspection

Every shift, before the key turns: walk around the machine checking tyres, hoses, guardrails, pins and battery, then function-test the emergency stops and controls. We’ve put the full sequence in a pre-start checklist you can print and keep in the logbook. If anything fails, tag the machine out and call us — don’t work around a fault.

Step 2 — Check the site before you drive anywhere

• Ground: firm, level and rated for the machine’s weight — 1,520kg for a 19ft. No slopes beyond the machine’s rating, no soft fill, no covered pits or penetrations.
• Overhead: look up before you go up. Powerlines are the big one — keep the exclusion distances your state and site rules require, and treat every line as live. Beams, ducts and door headers cause most of the crush incidents.
• Exclusion zone: barricade or spot the area below the platform so nobody walks under suspended work or into the machine’s path.

Step 3 — Know your controls

Test from the ground controls first, then transfer to the platform. Most machines have a drive/lift selector: drive mode steers and travels, lift mode raises and lowers. Know where both emergency stops are before you leave the ground.

Step 4 — Raising and driving: the rules that matter

• Raise only on firm, level ground — the tilt sensor will alarm and cut lift function if the machine is off-level, and it’s right
• Most electric slab scissors can drive elevated, but only on firm level ground, at the machine’s automatic creep speed, watching overhead the whole way
• Keep the platform gate closed and stay inside the rails — no ladders, planks or standing on rails to gain height. If you can’t reach, you need a bigger machine: check hire by height
• Respect the platform capacity (230kg on our 19ft) — people plus tools plus materials

Step 5 — Lowering and shutting down

Check below before you descend — the machine can’t see feet and the descent alarm isn’t a substitute for looking. Lower fully before travelling any distance, park on level ground, key off and remove the key. Then put it on charge: our electric scissors charge overnight from a standard 240V outlet. A flat machine in the morning is the most avoidable delay in hire.

Training: do this properly

Victoria doesn’t require a high-risk work licence for scissor lifts, but “no licence” doesn’t mean “no training” — operators must still be trained and competent, and the EWPA Yellow Card is the industry-standard way to show it. Most commercial builders won’t let you on the deck without one. This guide is general information only and should be verified against WorkSafe Victoria guidance and the machine’s own manual. Licence rules for booms are different — see the EWP licence guide.

Common questions