By Jason Berry
A new international standard for mobile elevating work platforms is changing the way controls on boom lifts and scissor lifts are designed. ISO 21455 (Operator’s controls – actuation, displacement, location, and method of operation) was published in 2020 to define rules for safeguarding persons and objects against the risk of accidents associated with the operation of MEWPs.
Australia is the first country to incorporate language from ISO 21455 into its industry standards (AS/NZS 1418:10), which is currently under revision with an anticipated effective date of September 2025. Meanwhile, Europe (EN280) and North American (ANSI A92 and CSA B354) standards groups will likely make similar changes during the next scheduled revisions of their standards over the next five to seven years.
What's changing?
One of the objectives of ISO 21455 is to standardize the direction of machine movement so that it correlates to the direction of the controller movement.
Historically, MEWP control configuration and design has evolved over time. As technology advances, customer preferences are considered, and new equipment is introduced. As a result, there were not consistent designs from OEM to OEM.
Now, all MEWPs manufactured after September 2025 for use in Australia must meet the new ISO design requirements. Anticipating this change, Genie thought about what customers need from us now and what they’ll need in the future as we developed our next-generation GS slab scissor lifts. We decided to incorporate the new control design requirements across the entirety of the GS scissor lift product line, which launched in November 2024 for most regions across the globe.
New lift function on Genie scissor lifts
For Genie, the changes relate to the lift function. When the lift function button is selected on new GS scissor lifts, pulling the joystick towards the operator will raise the platform and pushing the joystick away will lower the platform. This is a change from previous models of GS slab scissor lifts.
The drive controller direction remains unchanged from previous GS scissor lift controls. Pressing the controller away from the operator will move the chassis in the forward direction.
The guidance to operators remains the same as it has always been — observe and use color-coded direction arrows adjacent to the platform joystick and the platform lift and drive button arrows.
Operator training is essential
MEWP users will likely start to see this change from other OEMs as well, as they phase the design changes into product updates. That means rental companies and end users will need to remain vigilant when it comes to operator training. In the marketplace, there will be both old and new MEWP controller designs. It’s worth noting that ANSI and CSA standards require operator training, MEWP supervisor training, safe use plans, and more. Operators must be trained on the specific model MEWP they are using. This control design change underscores why that is so critical to safe operation.
The role of ISO
ISO does not decide when to develop a new standard but rather responds to requests from stakeholders in an industry. In this case, a study on MEWP accidents prompted consideration of ergonomics in control design.
Working as a group of industry experts through ISO TC 214 WG1, JLG, Skyjack, Haulotte, Manitou, NiftyLift, and Genie were all involved in the development of this standard. Other experts from around the world joined in. Ultimately, the publication of the new standard required collaboration, vetting, due process, and consensus.
While direction of control movement and machine movement is an important part of the standard, it also addresses force needed to actuate movement, appropriate spacing of controls, and grouping similar functions together. The process is a good one and I believe the result will improve operational performance for MEWP users. But change always comes with challenges, and as the control design begins to phase into the marketplace, education and training will be needed for rental companies and end users.
Jason Berry started his career with Genie more than 25 years ago. He spent 10 years in engineering and has worked in product safety since 2008. He currently is the director of product safety.