The Recently Updated ANSI A92 Standards

How it is affecting your business and all aerial lift operators.

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Today, more and more new style aerial work platforms such as outrigger supported lifts (aka spider lifts) are becoming extremely popular, being used across many fields that require work at height including tree care companies, contractors, building maintenance companies, glass cleaners, and many others. With that rapid growth in popularity of these new MEWPs, new requirements and regulations have also come into effect. 

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Our role is to inform & educate our audience and our customers about the changes in the standards. It is critical that operators, supervisors, and company owners are all properly trained and equipped to use these machines safely, in order to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries.

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The ANSI A92 Standard

If you are not familiar with it, ANSI stands for The American National Standards Institute. It’s a private, non-profit organization that creates standards, requirements, and assessments structures for numerous industries in the United States. Although ANSI standards are specifically for American products, they are used and adhered by for safety guidelines across the world.

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Prior to this new update, the last time the ANSI standards were updated for aerial lifts was in 2006. This new update was published on December 10, 2018, and it became officially effective in December of 2019. With this latest update, the new standards now align with the requirements of the current ISO standards (International Standardization Organization).

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There are three major standards that have been updated that affect the MEWP industry– A92.20 (design); A92.22 (safe operation); and A92.24 (certified training). Prior to this update, conveniently CMC has been ahead of the curve, and all CMC machines have already met the new requirements for MEWP wind ratings, load capacity, and chassis angles.

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Within these new standards, there are two classifications of MEWPS:

• Class A: platforms that move vertically but stay inside the tipping line.
• Class B: all other types of MEWPs, boom-style equipment where the platform extends out past the tipping line.

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Furthermore, these classes are then divided into types:

• Type 1: machines that travel only in the stowed position
• Type 2: machines that can travel while elevated but is operated from the chassis
• Type 3: machines that can travel while elevated but is operated from the platform

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Example 1: a tracked aerial lift like a CMC lift is classified as a 1B style MEWP because it can only travel in the stowed position (1), and the platform extends out past the tipping line (B).

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Example 2: a scissor lift is classified as a 3A style MEWP because it can travel while elevated from the platform (3), and the platform only moves vertically, staying inside the tipping line (A).

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For a full breakdown of MEWP classifications, please visit IPAF’s Categories page to learn more.

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With these new classifications, MEWP owners and operators have requirements and responsibility to properly train and educate their employees. Rental companies and dealers will need to support the new standards by updating their training procedures and onboarding guides, as well as offer familiarization to all customers who rent their MEWP.

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Owners, operators, and supervisors are all required to meet all of the new training requirements, as well as perform site risk assessments for all MEWP operations.

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If an operator has been previously trained and qualified for the previous ANSI standards, they will need to be retrained to meet the qualifications and requirements of the new ANSI A92 standards. 

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The previous standards have required only operators to be properly trained, however with the A92 update, both operators and supervisors must be trained and educated on the equipment. For example, both operators and supervisors must be aware of possible MEWP hazards, site risk assessment, walking the intended travel route and looking for unsafe ground conditions, as well as how to lower the machine in the event of an emergency or injury to the operator.

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Operator training is divided into three categories:

• Theory: learned in a classroom or online and covers training on the safe-use standard as a whole, and how it is applied to each machine.
• Practice: covers how to apply this knowledge with proper hands-on training and machine operation.
• Evaluation: proper documentation of the successful completion of the Theory and Practice training.

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So, where does this leave me and my business?

The ANSI A92 standards were published in December of 2018, and went into effect December 2019. This gave owners, operators, and companies a full year to become compliant with the new safety training regulations and requirements. If you are not yet compliant with the new A92 standards, it is imperative that you read the full documents, get the proper training, and become compliant as soon as possible.

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If you are not certified as an MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) operator, you are now actually in violation and should not be operating any aerial work platform, until this certification has been obtained.

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We highly recommend and suggest that operators that are NOT certified, stop operating aerial work platforms.

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For example, OSHA is similar to the DOT. Just like you need a driver’s license to operate a vehicle, you also need to be certified and trained to operate a MEWP.

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Again, ANYONE that operates or supervises the use of any sort of elevating platform, is subject to these standards.

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Who can help me get the proper compliance training for the new regulations?

IPAF, the International Powered Access Federation, is a non-profit organization that promotes the safe and effective use of powered access equipment worldwide. 

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All Access Equipment is a certified IPAF Training Center, and we offer IPAF Operator Safety Training to qualify owners, operators, and supervisors under the new requirements and regulations. With every machine sale, we include the ANSI/SAIA Manual of Responsibilities as well as OSHA Fact Sheets for safe MEWP operation. Anyone who works with or around a MEWP should be familiar with and adhering to the new safe use standards put in place by ANSI immediately.

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You can purchase the ANSI/SAIA Manual of Responsibilities here.

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If you purchased a CMC lift from All Access Equipment, one was provided in the back of your owner's manual.

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To learn more about the ANSI A92 standards, click here.