Familiarisation is required prior to operating any MEWP that is significantly different in weight, height, length or complexity to the MEWP on which training took place. The operator, supervisor, nominated ground rescue personnel, service engineer/ technician and demonstrator all need adequate familiarisation of the MEWP prior to undertaking their duties.

There are many different MEWP manufacturers, models and features, so it is critically important that operators are familiarised on any MEWP they are unfamiliar with. Failure to provide an adequate familiarisation may increase the risk of death or serious injury to the platform occupants and personnel at ground level, as well as damage to the MEWP, property, and the environment.

It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that all MEWP operators are adequately trained and familiarised to comply with current health and safety legislation.

Familiarisation should be conducted by a competent, authorised person. However, a MEWP operator can self-familiarise themselves with a MEWP if they have the current manufacturer’s operator’s manual, adequate experience, time, and information to competently assess the task and risks.

Machine-specific familiarisation should follow on from basic training and cover:

• Manufacturer’s instructions and warnings contained in the operator’s manual
• The location of the data/compliance plate
• Evidence of an in-date periodic inspection/thorough examination
• Visual inspections and pre-use checks
• Safety features, functions, and devices 
• Operating characteristics and limitations
• Layouts and use of controls (platform, ground and auxiliary)
• Emergency lowering procedures
• How to check and reset the secondary guarding system (if fitted)
• Any item specified by the MEWP manufacturer