Aerial Work Platforms

An aerial work platform (AWP), known in standards as a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) and informally as a cherry picker, boom lift or scissor lift, is a machine that lifts people, with their tools and materials, to work at height. It replaces ladders and, in many jobs, scaffolding: electricians, painters, installers, maintenance crews and steel erectors use platforms every day to reach ceilings, facades, trees, street lights and aircraft. Aerial platforms are one of the largest categories in the equipment rental industry.

Brief History of Aerial Work Platforms

Early platforms were simple devices: towers, ladders and buckets mounted on trucks for utility and fire services in the first half of the 20th century. The utility “cherry picker” took its name from machines used in orchards.

The self-propelled boom lift was born in Pennsylvania. In 1969, John L. Grove, who had co-founded the crane maker Grove Manufacturing, bought a small metal fabrication business in McConnellsburg with two partners. In 1970, with a team of about 20 workers, JLG built and sold its first aerial work platform, a self-propelled boom lift designed to make work at height safer. The company introduced its first scissor lift in 1973.

In the following decades, manufacturers such as Genie, Haulotte, Skyjack, Snorkel and many others expanded the market with scissor lifts, articulating and telescopic booms and push-around personnel lifts. The rental boom of the 1990s made aerial platforms a standard tool on construction and industrial sites worldwide. Today, most small and medium platforms are battery-electric, and the focus is on safety, connectivity and hybrid or electric power for larger machines.

How an Aerial Work Platform Works

Chassis: wheeled, tracked, truck-mounted or trailer-mounted, with drive, steering and, on some models, outriggers.
Lifting structure: a scissor mechanism, an articulating or telescopic boom, or a vertical mast.
Platform or basket with guardrails, controls and anchorage points for fall protection harnesses.
Controls both on the platform and at ground level, so the platform can be lowered in an emergency.
Safety systems: load sensing, tilt alarms, pothole protection on scissor lifts, secondary guarding against crushing on booms, and interlocks that limit drive speed or function at height.

The key figures are working height (platform height plus about 2 metres), platform height, horizontal outreach, platform capacity and machine weight and width.

Types of Aerial Work Platforms

Scissor Lifts

A platform raised vertically by a folding scissor mechanism. Scissor lifts offer large platforms and high capacities, but no horizontal outreach. Electric slab scissors work indoors on flat floors; rough-terrain scissors, with diesel or electric drives and four-wheel drive, work outdoors on construction sites.

Articulating Boom Lifts

Also called knuckle booms, they have a boom with one or more joints, and often a jib. The operator can reach “up and over” obstacles such as machinery, pipes or roof edges.

Telescopic Boom Lifts

Also called straight booms, they have a telescopic boom that gives maximum height and horizontal outreach. They are used for facades, steel structures and large industrial sites.

Vertical Mast Lifts and Personnel Lifts

Compact, often push-around, lifts with a single mast for one person, used for maintenance, retail, warehouses and indoor installation.

Truck- and Van-Mounted Platforms

Booms mounted on trucks or vans that travel at road speed, widely used by utilities, street lighting, telecoms and tree care.

Tracked Spider Lifts

Lightweight booms on compact tracks with outriggers. They pass through doors, climb stairs on some models, and work on soft or uneven ground and delicate floors.

Trailer-Mounted Platforms

Towable booms used by small contractors and rental customers for occasional work.

MEWP Groups and Types

International standards classify MEWPs by how they work:

Group A: the platform stays within the machine’s tipping lines (for example, scissor lifts and vertical masts).
Group B: the platform can move outside the tipping lines (for example, boom lifts).
Type 1: can only be driven when stowed.
Type 2: can be driven at height, controlled from the chassis.
Type 3: can be driven at height, controlled from the platform.

A scissor lift driven from the platform, for example, is a Group A, Type 3 MEWP; a self-propelled boom lift is typically Group B, Type 3.

Size Classes

Type	Typical working height	Typical use
Vertical mast and personnel lifts	about 4 to 12 m	Indoor maintenance, retail
Electric scissor lifts	about 6 to 16 m	Interiors, installation, fit-out
Rough-terrain scissor lifts	about 10 to 22 m	Construction sites
Articulating booms	about 10 to 45 m	Up-and-over work, industry
Telescopic booms	about 18 to 58 m and more	Facades, steel, large sites
Truck-mounted platforms	about 12 to 100 m and more	Utilities, city work, very high access

Figures are indicative.

Main Manufacturers

JLG (Oshkosh), the inventor of the self-propelled boom lift.
Genie (Terex), a global leader in scissor and boom lifts.
Haulotte (France), Skyjack (Linamar) and Snorkel.
Sinoboom, Dingli, XCMG and LGMG from China, now major global players.
Niftylift, Teupen, Platform Basket, Hinowa and CMC for compact and tracked lifts.
Palfinger, Ruthmann, Bronto Skylift, Multitel Pagliero and Socage for truck-mounted platforms.

Main Uses

Construction and building finishing: installation, electrical work, painting, cladding and glazing.
Industrial maintenance in factories, warehouses and plants.
Facility management, retail and event production.
Utilities, street lighting, telecoms and tree care (with truck-mounted lifts).
Shipyards, aircraft maintenance and film production.

Choosing the Right Platform

The choice starts from the job: how high, how far out, how many people and how much material, and on what ground.

Straight up, indoors, on good floors: an electric slab scissor or a vertical mast lift.
Straight up, outdoors on a construction site: a rough-terrain scissor lift.
Up and over obstacles: an articulating boom.
Maximum height and outreach: a telescopic boom or a truck-mounted platform.
Delicate floors, narrow doors or soft ground: a tracked spider lift.
Frequent moves on public roads: a truck- or van-mounted platform.

Weight and dimensions matter as much as height: the floor must carry the machine, and it has to fit through doors and lifts. Most rental companies help customers choose, and many offer site surveys for complex jobs.

Safety

Working at height is one of the leading causes of serious accidents, and MEWPs are designed to reduce that risk, provided they are used correctly:

Training for operators, according to local rules and recognised schemes such as IPAF or national equivalents.
Fall protection: harness and short lanyard attached to the anchorage point on boom lifts; on scissor lifts, guardrails are the primary protection unless the manufacturer or local rules require more.
Ground conditions: check for soft ground, holes, slopes and hidden voids before setting up.
Overhead hazards: power lines, beams and entrapment points. Secondary guarding systems help prevent crushing against structures.
Wind limits: outdoor machines have a maximum wind speed, and indoor-only machines must never be used outside.
Rescue plan: a trained person on the ground must be able to lower the platform in an emergency.

Trends and Technology

Electrification: most scissors and small booms are already electric; lithium batteries and hybrid drives are spreading to large booms.
Lighter machines for delicate floors and easier transport.
Load sensing and operator protection systems as standard.
Telematics for rental fleets, with remote diagnostics and access control by operator licence.
Collision avoidance sensors, such as radar and LiDAR systems that slow and stop the platform near obstacles.

Key Terms

Platform height: the height of the platform floor. Working height is usually quoted about two metres higher.
Outreach: how far the platform can extend horizontally from the machine.
Jib: a small articulating arm at the end of a boom that allows fine positioning of the platform.
Platform capacity: the maximum weight of people, tools and materials allowed in the basket.
Rough terrain: machines with high ground clearance and four-wheel drive for use on unfinished sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between working height and platform height? Working height is the platform height plus about 2 metres, the reach of a person standing on the platform.

Scissor lift or boom lift? A scissor lift goes straight up and gives a large platform; a boom lift reaches out and over obstacles.

Do you need a harness in a scissor lift? Scissor lifts rely on guardrails as fall protection; requirements vary by country and manufacturer, so always follow local rules and the operator’s manual.

Can a scissor lift be used outdoors? Some can. Rough-terrain scissor lifts are designed for outdoor sites, while slab models are mainly for indoor, level floors. Wind limits apply to all machines used outdoors.