It is the employer's responsibility to ensure that all operators they direct and authorize to use aerial equipment are adequately trained, familiarized and made aware of operator responsibilities to comply with current health and safety requirements.

Familiarization

All properly trained personnel who are directed and authorized to operate an aerial work platform shall ensure, prior to use, that they are familiarized with the aerial platform to be used unless they have been provided with familiarization on the same model.

Machine specific familiarization is required in addition to formalized general aerial work platform training and shall include the following:

• The location of the weather resistant storage compartment for manual(s) storage
• Confirming that all required manuals are in the storage compartment
• The purpose and function of all controls and
• Knowledge of the safety devices and operating characteristics of the machine being operated.

Familiarization or training is not an option - you need both!

The ANSI A92.6 standard has a definition for familiarization that clearly differentiates it from training. Training is the instruction necessary to enable a trainee to become a qualified person in the task to be performed, including the recognition of potential hazards. Familiarization is the information regarding the control functions and safety devices on a specific aerial work platform to be operated by a qualified person (trained operator).

Reference: USA F1/08/09

For the international version of this guidance, please click here.