Managers and MEWP operators will have one year from the updated standards’ date of publication — Dec. 10, 2018 — to comply with new requirements. One of the most important changes in the updated A92 standards involve new and additional operator training.
“A92.24 has new training requirements,” Smith says. “After the standards become effective in one year, an operator that was trained to the old standards will not be qualified under the new standards. Every operator in the industry will require new training.
“The operator is now responsible for providing what’s called occupant knowledge. There are certain things the occupant of a MEWP must know, and it is the responsibility of the operator to provide that knowledge. If I am the operator and I have another person in the lift with me, there are certain things that occupant needs to know, and it is the responsibility of the operator to provide that knowledge. In the past, they didn’t have specific responsibilities to provide knowledge to others.”
The updated standards also require that operators complete their training online or in a classroom and that they take a written test and a hands-on evaluation that will qualify an operator on a specific machine.
While it is always essential to provide training for operators who will use a particular MEWP, the updated standards also require that supervisors receive such training.
“Supervisor training requires things like machine selection, worksite assessment and rescue plans,” Smith says. “Supervisor training is a brand new requirement for the ANSI market.”
The new standards also change equipment descriptions.
“Groups and types is a new way of classifying machines,” Smith says. “In the past, there was ANSI Standard A92.5 for boom lifts, and a standard for scissor lifts. Every machine type had its own standard. Now they are now all in one standard. The classification of machine types is different.
“In the past, if you were qualified on boom lifts, you were also qualified on what we call atrium lifts or compact crawlers. Under the new standards, compact crawlers are in a separate group or type, and operators have to be trained in each group or type specifically.”
Raising the Stakes for MEWP Selection and Use
MEWPs: New Training Requirements
