Yes. A person operating a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) should have attended a recognised operator training course. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sets out this expectation, and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 aim to prevent death and injury from a fall from height.
What the HSE expects from operators
Most of the serious MEWP hazards arise from how the machine is run rather than from it moving around a site , and the law says these hazards must be properly controlled. Operator instruction and training are treated as central to that control and are described as very important requirements.
The HSE's guidance expects a trained operator to hold a certificate, card or 'licence' issued after a recognised operator training course, which lists the categories of MEWP the bearer is trained to operate. The expiry date on that card or licence should be checked.
Formal training is only part of the picture. Operators should also have familiarisation training on the controls and operation of the specific make and model of MEWP they are using. This matters most when you hire a machine you have not used before, because controls can differ between models.
What hire companies should ask you
offer to provide a competent operator with the hire. maintenance, inspection schedule and responsibilities with the customer during hire.
Checklist before you hire a cherry picker or MEWP
- Confirm in advance who will operate the machine, and whether that person holds a current training card.
- Check that the card lists the category of machine you are hiring, and that it has not expired.
- Ask the hire company whether familiarisation on the specific make and model is included or needs to be arranged.
- Ask whether a trained operator can be supplied with the machine if nobody on site is qualified.
- Agree in writing who handles inspection, maintenance and supervision during the hire period.
- Keep copies of the training records and the hire paperwork on site.
The legal background in brief
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 are the law designed to prevent death and injury from a fall from height. Under the HSE's definition, work at height means work in any place where, if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Work on a driveway, a roof edge or a shop frontage could fall within that definition if there were no precautions in place.
Check those points with the hire company before you collect the machine.
If you are still choosing a machine, you can compare tool hire firms across the GetBrent category or look at tool hire in London and tool hire in Harrow. Ask each firm directly what training and operator options it offers before you agree a booking.
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