Powered Access Inspection

Powered access equipment puts people at height on a machine, which changes what an inspection has to establish. A load-carrying failure damages equipment; a failure here drops or traps an operator. Structural condition, stability systems and emergency descent are examined on that basis.

Equipment inspected

• Scissor lifts, electric and rough terrain
• Articulated boom lifts
• Telescopic boom lifts
• Vertical mast lifts and personnel lifts
• Trailer and vehicle mounted platforms
• Spider and tracked platforms
• Suspended access cradles
• Building maintenance units (BMU)
• Mast climbing work platforms
• Personnel baskets and man cages

Mobile elevating work platforms

• Chassis, turntable and boom structure examined for cracking, distortion and weld condition, with NDT of critical welds and pivot pins where condition requires
• Scissor pack arms, pins and bushes for wear and elongation
• Outriggers, stabilisers and their deployment interlocks
• Tilt and level sensing, and the machine's response to an out-of-level condition
• Load sensing and overload cut-out function tested with known load
• Platform, guardrails, toe boards, gate and harness anchor points
• Hydraulic cylinders, hoses and holding valves, including creep under held load
• Drive, steer and braking, including operation on gradient where applicable
• Ground and platform controls, deadman and emergency stop
• Emergency lowering function tested from the ground, with the machine elevated — this is the control that matters when an operator is incapacitated at height, and it is frequently found untested
• Legible and correct capacity, wind rating and slope marking

Suspended cradles and BMUs

• Roof rig, davit arms, monorail or trolley track and their fixings to the structure
• Counterweight condition, correct mass and secure retention
• Suspension and safety wire ropes assessed against ISO 4309 discard criteria
• Primary hoists and their brakes, tested for holding under load
• Secondary or fail-safe devices, including the safety lock's activation on overspeed or slack rope — function tested rather than inspected visually
• Overload detection and slack rope sensing
• Cradle structure, platform, guardrails and anchorage points
• Limit switches, upper and lower travel stops
• Emergency descent and manual lowering arrangements
• Electrical supply, trailing cable condition and isolation
• Rescue arrangements for an occupant stranded at height

Load testing

Proof load testing is carried out on new installations, after structural repair or modification, after relocation or re-rigging of suspended equipment, and at the intervals your specification requires. Load is applied at the percentage above rated capacity stated in the applicable standard, with overload cut-outs, brakes and secondary devices verified, and the structure examined after the test.

Standards applied

Inspection follows the standard your contract or governing authority specifies. Those most commonly applied are EN 280 for mobile elevating work platforms, the ASME A92 series for aerial work platforms, EN 1808 for suspended access equipment and BMUs, and ISO 4309 for wire rope discard criteria. Manufacturer inspection and maintenance schedules are applied alongside the standard, since they set model-specific checks and component life limits.

Inspection intervals

Equipment used to lift persons is examined more frequently than equipment lifting loads — six months is the common baseline, and shorter in offshore, coastal or high-duty-cycle service. Inspection is also required after transport and re-erection, after any structural repair, and following an incident or overload event. Suspended equipment is re-examined after each re-rig to a new position on a building.

Rescue planning

An inspection that confirms the machine is serviceable does not confirm you can recover someone from it. Where a rescue plan is required by your permit system or client specification, we verify that the emergency descent controls actually function and are accessible from the ground, and report where they are not. This is among the most common findings on otherwise well-maintained equipment.

Accreditation and approvals

ITMAD is accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 as an inspection body, is an ADNOC approved inspection contractor, and is listed on the Abu Dhabi City Municipality register of Approved Third Party Inspection Bodies. Certificates are issued in the format required by the governing authority, including Dubai Municipality and the Dubai free zone authorities, and inspection is carried out across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern Emirates. Inspection is carried out at your site and can be scheduled alongside crane, lifting gear and fall protection inspection in one attendance.

What you receive

• An inspection certificate in the format the governing authority requires
• A report identifying each unit by serial number, capacity and location
• Findings recorded component by component with photographic evidence
• Defects classified by severity, separating what stops the machine from what must be monitored
• Load test results with applied load and post-test condition
• Colour-coded tagging applied on site
• Your equipment register updated, where we hold it