Regulations, Standards, and Operator Responsibilities
Regulations determine what the operator is trained and obliged to do, and the exam asks you to name the right standard for the machine.
The framework
- ANSI/SAIA A92.20 (design), A92.22 (safe use), A92.24 (training) - the 2018 MEWP suite, replacing the safe-use sections of A92.3/A92.5/A92.6.
- A92.2 - vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating aerial devices (bucket trucks).
- OSHA 1910.67 - vehicle-mounted platforms in general industry; 1926.453 - aerial lifts in construction; 1926.454 - training: manufacturer's instructions and warnings, demonstrated operation, hazard recognition (electrical, fall, falling objects), and the employer's work rules.
- 1910.269 / 1926.960 - line-clearance work; 1910.140 / 1926.502 - fall protection and prompt rescue; Z133 - arboricultural operations.
Employer programme and operator duties
The employer identifies hazards, trains and evaluates operators, keeps records, maintains the machines, and provides a rescue plan. The operator runs only models they are trained and familiarized on, performs the pre-use inspection, reports defects, follows the manual, and refuses unsafe work. Retraining is triggered by a new model or site, an observed unsafe practice, or an incident.
Worked example
An operator holds a scissor-lift card and is asked to run an articulating boom lift on a slope. The card does not transfer: the boom is Group B with a different stability envelope, so the operator needs boom-specific training plus familiarization with that model before operating.
Traps
- Assuming one certification covers every lift class.
- Confusing the A92.22 safe-use standard with A92.2 for bucket trucks.
- Citing "10 ft" for a 345 kV line instead of the escalated distance.
- Treating documented familiarization as optional paperwork.