Aerial Lift & Scissor Lift Inspection Form

Identify the machine, run the daily control test 29 CFR 1926.453(b)(2)(i) requires, work through the walk-around, the set-up and the platform rules, record the defects and sign the form, then print it or download it as a PDF. Boom lifts and scissor lifts are covered by different OSHA standards, and this form keeps them apart instead of blurring them together.

Company / contractor

Project / job number

Unit number

Make & model

Serial number

Hour meter

Machine type

A scissor lift is not an aerial lift under 1926.453. OSHA’s scissor lift Hazard Alert applies 1926.21, 1926.451, 1926.452 and 1926.454 to it.

Standard this crew works under

Inspection date

Time of the control test

1926.453(b)(2)(i): each day, prior to use.

Operator

Authorized for this machine by

1926.453(b)(2)(ii) authorized persons; 1910.67(c)(2)(ii) trained persons. This form is not the training record.

Work the lift is being used for

Fall protection in use in the platform

Reported to (supervisor or foreman)

Mark a checkpoint OK when the condition is met, Defect when it is not, or N/A when it does not apply to this machine. Leave it blank to print an empty box and mark it by hand.

Authorization, training and documents — 1926.453(a)(2), (b)(2)(ii), (b)(2)(vi); 1910.67(c)(2)(ii)

Only authorized persons operate this lift — and, in general industry, only trained persons — 1926.453(b)(2)(ii); 1910.67(c)(2)(ii)

The manufacturer’s operating manual is on the machine and legible — manufacturer’s instructions

Capacity plate, load chart, control decals and warning placards present and legible — 1926.453(b)(2)(vi)

No field modification in use unless it has been certified in writing by the manufacturer, or by an equivalent entity such as a nationally recognized testing laboratory, as conforming to the standard and at least as safe as before — 1926.453(a)(2); 1910.67(b)(2)

The owner’s frequent and annual inspections are not overdue — those intervals come from the manufacturer and the ANSI/SAIA A92 suite, named here and not reproduced — manufacturer; ANSI/SAIA A92

Walk-around before start-up — 1926.453(a)(1), (b)(2)(vii), (b)(2)(xi); manufacturer

No hydraulic, fuel or coolant leaks under the machine or at the cylinders, hoses and fittings — manufacturer’s instructions

Tires, wheels, tracks and lug nuts sound, and tire pressure as the manufacturer specifies — manufacturer’s instructions

Structure sound: no cracked welds, no bent or gouged boom or scissor arms, no missing or damaged pins, keepers, bolts or retaining hardware — 1926.453(a)(1); manufacturer

Platform, gate and guardrails complete and undamaged, and the gate closes and latches on its own — 1926.453(b)(2)(iv); 1926.451(g)(4) for scissor lifts

Outriggers, stabilizers, pads and their pins present and undamaged — 1926.453(b)(2)(vii)

Battery, cables and connections sound; fuel, hydraulic and engine fluid levels as the manufacturer specifies — manufacturer’s instructions

Emergency lowering or auxiliary power device present, labelled and working — manufacturer’s instructions

On an insulated aerial device, the insulated portion is unaltered and undamaged — nothing has been done to it that might reduce its insulating value — 1926.453(b)(2)(xi); 1910.67(c)(2)(xi)

Daily control test — the one OSHA writes down — 1926.453(b)(2)(i), (b)(2)(ix); 1910.67(c)(2)(i)

Lift controls tested today, before use, and found to be in safe working condition — 1926.453(b)(2)(i); 1910.67(c)(2)(i)

Both platform (upper) and lower control stations present, upper controls in or beside the platform within easy reach, and every control plainly marked as to its function — 1926.453(b)(2)(ix)

Lower controls override the upper controls, and are not operated without permission from the person in the lift except in an emergency — 1926.453(b)(2)(ix)

Every function run through its range: raise, lower, extend, retract, rotate, drive, steer, and the tilt alarm and level indicator — 1926.453(b)(2)(i)

Brakes hold, and the horn, alarms, beacons and lights work — 1926.453(b)(2)(vii); manufacturer

Mark a checkpoint OK when the condition is met, Defect when it is not, or N/A when it does not apply to this machine. Leave it blank to print an empty box and mark it by hand. The last group applies to scissor lifts and vertical mast lifts — mark it N/A on a boom lift, and mark the boom-only checkpoints N/A on a scissor lift.

Set-up at the work position — 1926.453(b)(2)(vi)-(vii); 1910.67(c)(2)(vi)-(vii); OSHA 3842

Ground firm and level enough for this machine, free of drop-offs, holes, slopes, bumps, obstructions and debris — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842; manufacturer

Brakes set, and outriggers — when used — positioned on pads or a solid surface — 1926.453(b)(2)(vii); 1910.67(c)(2)(vii)

Wheel chocks installed before using the lift on an incline, where they can be safely installed — 1926.453(b)(2)(vii)

Traffic isolated or controlled around the machine so no vehicle or equipment can contact it — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Wind within the manufacturer’s limit for this machine at this height, and the machine not used outdoors in poor weather — manufacturer’s instructions

Boom and basket load limits specified by the manufacturer not exceeded — occupants plus tools plus material — 1926.453(b)(2)(vi); 1910.67(c)(2)(vi)

In the platform — 1926.453(b)(2)(iii)-(v), (b)(2)(x); 1926.502(d)-(e)

On a boom-supported lift, a personal fall arrest or travel restraint system is worn and attached to the boom or the basket — 1926.453(b)(2)(v); 1910.67(c)(2)(v)

Nobody belts off to an adjacent pole, structure or equipment while working from the lift — 1926.453(b)(2)(iii); 1910.67(c)(2)(iii)

A body belt is used only in a tethering or restraint system under 1926.502(e) — body belts have not been acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system since January 1, 1998 — Note to 1926.453(b)(2)(v); 1926.502(d)

Occupants stand firmly on the floor of the basket; nobody sits or climbs on the edge, and no plank, ladder or other device is used as a work position — 1926.453(b)(2)(iv); 1910.67(c)(2)(iv)

Climbers — pole gaffs — are not worn while performing work from the lift — 1926.453(b)(2)(x); 1910.67(c)(2)(x)

Gate closed and the guardrail system in place before the platform is raised — 1926.451(g)(4)(i); OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Work kept within easy reach so nobody leans out over the rails, and nothing other than the machine’s own mechanism is used to raise the platform — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Electrical and overhead hazards — 1910.67(b)(4) to 1910.333(c)(3); 1926.453(b)(3); OSHA 3842

Work location selected at least 10 ft away from power lines, transformers and other electrical power sources — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Where the task has to be done near an energized source, the worker is qualified and has the required electrical training — 1910.333; 1926 Subpart V; 1910.67(b)(4)

Overhead clearance checked before raising: utilities, structure, ducts, beams and door frames the platform could be crushed against — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

An insulated aerial device is used within its rating and its electrical tests are current — 1926.453(b)(3); 1910.67(c)(3)

Travel and stowage — 1926.453(b)(1), (b)(2)(viii), (b)(2)(xii); 1910.67(c)(1)

The lift is not moved with the boom elevated in a working position and people in the basket, unless it is equipment specifically designed for that operation — 1926.453(b)(2)(viii); 1910.67(c)(2)(viii)

Before travelling, the boom is inspected to see that it is properly cradled and the outriggers are in the stowed position — 1926.453(b)(2)(xii); 1910.67(c)(2)(xii)

On a ladder truck or tower truck, the aerial ladder is secured in the lower travelling position by the locking device on top of the cab and the manually operated device at the base before highway travel — 1926.453(b)(1); 1910.67(c)(1)

Travel route checked for grade, surface and overhead clearance before the machine is driven — manufacturer’s instructions

Scissor lifts — OSHA applies the scaffold standards, not 1926.453 — 1926.451, 1926.452(w), 1926.454; OSHA 3842

Guardrail system installed and in good working condition before anyone works from the platform — on a scissor lift it is the fall protection, not an extra — 1926.451(g); OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Nobody stands on the guardrails, and any platform extension deck is fully latched — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842; manufacturer

Wheels and brakes hold the machine in position once it is set, and the casters are locked where the machine has them — 1926.452(w)(2); OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

The machine is not moved in an elevated position unless the manufacturer’s instructions allow it — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Platform weight never exceeds the manufacturer’s load rating, and the safety systems designed to stop a collapse are maintained and not bypassed — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Operators trained under 1926.454 — the manufacturer’s instructions for operating the lift vertically and in transit, handling materials and weight limits, other worksite hazards, and reporting equipment defects — 1926.454; OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

Defects found and what was done

A machine whose controls fail the daily test is not a machine with a note against it. Record what was found, who was told, and whether the unit went back to work or came out of service.

Defects found: where on the machine, what was found, action taken, who did it and when
#	Where on the machine	Defect found	Action taken	By / when
1
2
3
4

Result of this inspection

Rescue plan if someone is stranded in the platform

Notes

Operating manual on the machine — manufacturer

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Template for informational purposes only. This document must be reviewed and adapted by a competent or qualified person for your specific jobsite, equipment, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements. It does not constitute legal, engineering, or safety advice and does not by itself establish compliance with OSHA or any other standard. SteelToeTools assumes no liability for its use. Nothing you type is sent to our servers.

How to use this form

1
Pick the machine type first. It decides which half of the form applies. A boom lift is an aerial lift under 1926.453 and needs a harness anchored to the boom or basket; a scissor lift is not, and OSHA reaches it through the scaffold standards instead.
2
Record the unit number and the hour meter. Rental fleets rotate. The serial number and the hours are what let anyone match this sheet to the machine that was on site that week — and what the rental company will ask for first.
3
Run the controls, do not look at them. Group C is the only inspection OSHA writes into the standard, and it is a test: raise, lower, extend, retract, rotate, drive, steer, then the same functions from the lower station, then the lower override. A control that responds late is a defect.
4
Do the set-up group where the machine will actually stand. Ground, slope, chocks, traffic, wind, overhead clearance. Most of the machine checkpoints pass in the yard; the ones that kill people fail at the work position.
5
Log the defects, name the disposition, then sign. Print or download the PDF. Put the task and its hazards into a JHA, check the harness and lanyard with the fall protection inspection form, and inspect a scissor lift’s scaffold-side criteria with the scaffold inspection checklist.

What OSHA requires

One inspection is written into the standard, and it is short. 29 CFR 1926.453(b)(2)(i): “Lift controls shall be tested each day prior to use to determine that such controls are in safe working condition.” 1910.67(c)(2)(i) is word for word the same for general industry. That is the whole of OSHA’s inspection interval for an aerial lift: daily, before use, on the controls. Everything else on this form is either a use rule from the same paragraph, or an item the manufacturer’s manual asks for — and the frequent and annual inspections that owners run come from the manual and from the ANSI/SAIA A92 suite, which are paid consensus standards named here and never reproduced.

A scissor lift is not an aerial lift

This is the distinction the whole page turns on, and it is not a technicality. 1926.453 defines aerial lifts as vehicle-mounted devices that position personnel — extensible boom platforms, aerial ladders, articulating boom platforms, vertical towers and combinations of them. A scissor lift raises its platform straight up on crossed beams, so it sits outside that definition, and OSHA’s own scissor lift Hazard Alert lists the standards employers must comply with for it: 1926.21 (training), 1926.451 and 1926.452 (scaffolds), and 1926.454 (scaffold training).

What changes between the two machines
	Boom lift (aerial lift)	Scissor lift
Standard	1926.453 · 1910.67	1926.451 · 1926.452 · 1926.454 (per OSHA’s Hazard Alert)
Fall protection	Personal fall arrest or travel restraint worn and attached to the boom or basket — 1926.453(b)(2)(v), 1910.67(c)(2)(v)	The guardrail system — 1926.451(g). A harness is required where the manufacturer or the site rule says so
Anchor point	The boom or the basket. Belting off to an adjacent pole, structure or equipment is prohibited — 1926.453(b)(2)(iii)	Only an anchorage the manufacturer provides and identifies
Who may operate	Authorized persons (construction) · trained persons (general industry)	Workers trained under 1926.454
Daily check	Lift controls tested each day prior to use — 1926.453(b)(2)(i)	Controls and components tested and inspected before each use, per the manufacturer — OSHA Hazard Alert 3842

The body belt sentence, and why it is confusing

1926.453(b)(2)(v) still reads “a body belt shall be worn and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket when working from an aerial lift” — text written in 1993 that OSHA never rewrote. What it carries instead is a note, and the note is the rule: as of January 1, 1998, subpart M of this part (§ 1926.502(d)) provides that body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. The use of a body belt in a tethering system or in a restraint system is acceptable and is regulated under § 1926.502(e). So a belt can hold you back from the hazard; it cannot stop your fall. The general industry version was modernized and says it plainly: 1910.67(c)(2)(v) calls for a personal fall arrest or travel restraint system meeting subpart I, worn and attached to the boom or basket.

Two things this form is not. It is not a training record and it does not qualify anyone: 1926.453(b)(2)(ii) requires the operator to be authorized and 1910.67(c)(2)(ii) requires them to be trained, and both are the employer’s to do — OSHA runs no operator programme for aerial lifts and does not recognize any operator card. And it does not reproduce ANSI/SAIA A92: the A92.2-1969 edition is named because 1926.453(a)(1) and 1910.67(b)(1) incorporate it by reference, and the current suite is named as the place where operator training, familiarization, and the frequent and annual inspections live. For the criteria inside those standards, go to the publisher and to your manufacturer’s manual.

Frequently asked questions

The control test is daily and it is written into the standard. 29 CFR 1926.453(b)(2)(i): lift controls shall be tested each day prior to use to determine that such controls are in safe working condition. 1910.67(c)(2)(i) says the same for general industry. That is the only interval OSHA sets. The walk-around, the frequent inspection and the annual inspection that owners run alongside it come from the manufacturer's manual and from the ANSI/SAIA A92 suite — paid consensus standards, named here and not reproduced — and where they are stricter than OSHA they govern the machine you own.

Not under OSHA. 1926.453 covers vehicle-mounted devices that position personnel on a boom — extensible boom platforms, aerial ladders, articulating boom platforms and vertical towers. A scissor lift raises its platform straight up on crossed beams, so it falls outside that definition, and OSHA's own scissor lift Hazard Alert lists 1926.21, 1926.451, 1926.452 and 1926.454 — the training and scaffold standards — as what employers must comply with. The practical consequence is the one people get wrong: on a scissor lift the guardrail system is the fall protection, while on a boom lift a harness attached to the boom or basket is required on top of the rails.

Not because OSHA says so, in most cases. The requirement to wear a personal fall arrest or travel restraint system attached to the boom or basket is in 1926.453(b)(2)(v) and 1910.67(c)(2)(v), and those paragraphs are about aerial lifts. On a scissor lift the protection OSHA points at is the guardrail system — 1926.451(g) — and its Hazard Alert tells workers to check that the guardrail system is in place before working and never to stand on the rails. Many manufacturers and many site rules require a harness in a scissor lift anyway, and where they do, that requirement governs your work. The form records both.

No, and it is one of the shortest prohibitions in the standard. 1926.453(b)(2)(iii): belting off to an adjacent pole, structure, or equipment while working from an aerial lift shall not be permitted. 1910.67(c)(2)(iii) repeats it. The anchor is the boom or the basket, because the machine and the anchor have to move together — a lanyard tied to a steel column becomes a hazard the moment the boom drifts.

1926.453(b)(2)(v) still reads "a body belt shall be worn and a lanyard attached to the boom or basket", but it carries a note that settles the question: as of January 1, 1998, subpart M (1926.502(d)) provides that body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system, and the use of a body belt in a tethering or restraint system is acceptable and regulated under 1926.502(e). So a belt may be part of a restraint system that keeps you from reaching the fall hazard; it may not be what arrests a fall. The general industry text was updated and says so directly: 1910.67(c)(2)(v) calls for a personal fall arrest or travel restraint system meeting subpart I.

In construction, only authorized persons — 1926.453(b)(2)(ii). In general industry, only trained persons — 1910.67(c)(2)(ii). The wording genuinely differs, and the safe reading is to satisfy both: the employer trains the operator on the machine and then authorizes them in writing for it. OSHA does not run an aerial lift operator programme and does not issue an operator card of any kind; operator training and familiarization requirements sit in the ANSI/SAIA A92 suite, which is named here and not reproduced. This form is not a training record and it is not a qualification.

For the machine itself, the answer comes from the electrical standards rather than from 1926.453: 1910.67(b)(4) sends you to 1910.333(c)(3) for work near overhead lines, and in construction the equivalent rules sit in Subpart K and Subpart V. OSHA's scissor lift Hazard Alert gives the practical instruction for site selection in plain terms — select work locations that do not approach electrical power sources such as power lines and transformers by at least 10 feet — and it warns that electricity can arc from the line to the machine or the worker, so contact is not required for electrocution. Where the work has to be done near an energized source, the worker must be qualified and have the required electrical training.

Only when the machine is built for it. 1926.453(b)(2)(viii) prohibits moving an aerial lift truck when the boom is elevated in a working position with men in the basket, except for equipment specifically designed for that operation. Many self-propelled boom and scissor lifts are designed for elevated travel and say so in the manual — with a reduced speed and a stricter limit on the ground. Before any travel, 1926.453(b)(2)(xii) requires the booms to be inspected to see that they are properly cradled and the outriggers stowed.

Sources & references

Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 28, 2026.

By SteelToeTools Editorial Team — Editorial team of SteelToeTools.com (published by LSEA SAS) Updated August 28, 2026 v1

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Aerial Lift & Scissor Lift Inspection

Date —
29 CFR 1926.453 · 1910.67 · 1926.451

Company: —

Project / job #: —

Unit no.: —

Make & model: —

Serial no.: —

Hour meter: —

Machine type: —

Standard: —

Operator: —

Authorized by: —

Work: —

Fall protection in the platform: —

Operating manual on the machine: —

Rescue plan: —

INSPECTION CRITERIA

Inspection criteria with OK, defect and not applicable columns
Criterion	OK	Def.	N/A

DEFECTS FOUND AND ACTION TAKEN

Defects found and action taken
#	Where	Defect found	Action taken	By / when

Result of this inspection: —

Notes: —

Controls tested and machine inspected by — 1926.453(b)(2)(i)

Signature / date / time

Reported to

Signature / date / time

Generated with SteelToeTools.com — template for informational purposes only29 CFR 1926.453 · 1910.67 · 1926.451

Aerial Lift & Scissor Lift Inspection Form

How to use this form

What OSHA requires

A scissor lift is not an aerial lift

The body belt sentence, and why it is confusing

Frequently asked questions

How often does an aerial lift have to be inspected?

Is a scissor lift an aerial lift?

Do you have to wear a harness in a scissor lift?

Can you tie off to a nearby structure from an aerial lift?

Does a body belt satisfy the aerial lift fall protection rule?

Who is allowed to operate an aerial lift?

How far does an aerial lift have to stay from power lines?

Can an aerial lift be driven with the platform raised?

Sources & references