A key component to aerial safety is maintenance. There are enough hazards on a jobsite without creating more because a machine isn't maintained properly. Not only is good maintenance simply good business, certain maintenance procedures are required by ANSI.

Aside from requested field repairs on your aerial work platform to keep the rental revenue clock ticking, ANSI requires some additional maintenance be performed. ANSI states that before an aerial work platform leaves your shop it shall receive a pre-delivery inspection — but this is just the beginning of a long road of responsibility.

With the aerial platform now on a jobsite being utilized by a potentially qualified operator, and no longer in your care or custody, ANSI has additional requirements. A frequent inspection is not just a requirement but an opportunity to evaluate equipment and the environment in which it is being used. Should the job go past deadline, or should a customer request extended usage past 12 months, an annual inspection will be in order.

A frequent inspection is required every 150 operational hours or 90 days; whichever occurs first. The content of this inspection can be reviewed in the current ANSI/SIA Manual of Responsibilities located in the weather-resistant compartment found on the aerial work platform. Personnel performing the maintenance shall be qualified as a mechanic in the following:

• Responsibilities upon purchase
• Machine manual(s)
• Manual of responsibilities
• Maintenance
• Inspection
• Repair
• Pre-delivery preparation
• Frequent inspection
• Annual inspection
• Maintenance and safety precautions
• Replacement parts
• Operator training

An annual inspection carries a bit more responsibility than a frequent inspection. ANSI states that this type of maintenance shall be carried out by a person(s) — yes, according to the national standard a two-headed technician could do this job simply because, as the saying goes, “Two heads are better than one.” ANSI goes into further detail defining the skill level these technicians must possess, stating that they be qualified as a mechanic on the specific type of aerial lift or one that has similar design characteristics.

But there is still more responsibility to accept as ANSI goes on to say that these inspections must be carried out in accordance with items specified by the manufacturer. Fortunately this means the detail of these inspections are not left up to our interpretation; they are spelled out in the service and maintenance manual.

Now, look into the maintenance manual on the specific make and model that will be worked on and we find more duties. It may read as follows: “Annual inspections to be carried out by a factory-certified service technician.” In operator training, the word “certified” can be very convoluted but thankfully the service manual spells it out for us. The manufacturer recognizes a factory-certified service technician as a person who has successfully completed their service training school for the subject product model.

The time it takes to complete the scope of these inspections differs by the type of aerial lift, the location the machine is at, available resources, and possibly even severity of usage. For example, a small electric scissorlift will probably take less time to complete these tasks than its larger rough terrain cousin. The same theory would apply to booms; a small electric boom will take less time than a much more complicated 80-foot articulating boom.

Further complicating this process is the necessity to check for the manufacturer's related service bulletins and to confirm that there are no unauthorized modifications as well as to confirm product registration if inspecting a second-party aerial lift. There are many factors that determine the time it will take to complete an annual inspection, especially when all malfunctions and problems should be corrected before placing the aerial work platform back into service. This process makes the time required to complete the annual inspection anywhere from just a few hours to more than a week.