Elevated Work Platforms Pre-Use Inspection Checklist

Scissor lifts, boom lifts, and other mobile elevating work platforms are subject to strict Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations, including regular inspection. In addition to thorough engineering and design inspection before they’re put into service and regular inspection and maintenance thereafter, mobile elevated platforms must be inspected on a daily basis before each shift.

The pre-use inspection should be treated as a Go/No-Go decision, with the understanding that the platform must be immediately marked as defective and removed from service if any defect is identified and not used again unless and until the problem is fixed.

To ensure compliance, OHS directors need to verify not only that pre-use mobile elevated work platforms are actually being performed but also that they address all of the potential hazards that may make the platform unsafe to use.

Here’s a Pre-Use Safety Checklist you can adapt for your own use depending on your inspection protocols, the equipment you use, and the OHS mobile elevated work platform requirements of your particular jurisdiction – available in both doc and PDF formats. Example: If you’re in Ontario, you’ll need to ensure the Checklist covers the detailed new OHS Elevated Work Platform requirements that took effect on January 1, 2027.