Bucket trucks and EWPs: the rules and licences by country

This page reports what regulators say about aerial lifts. Where a source sets an interval or a licence, the page names the source and who it applies to. A machine's manual and your employer's rules sit on top of all of it.

The names differ. In the United States the machine is an aerial lift or aerial device. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand more often say elevating work platform (EWP) or mobile elevating work platform (MEWP).

United States

OSHA's rule for aerial lifts is 29 CFR 1910.67, which covers vehicle-mounted work platforms. It covers extensible and articulating boom platforms. The text is on the eCFR, the official online edition of the federal regulations. See 29 CFR 1910.67.

What the rule says about operators and use

Only trained persons shall operate an aerial lift. The rule does not name a card or a course.
Lift controls shall be tested each day before use to determine they are in safe working condition.
A personal fall arrest or travel restraint system shall be worn and attached to the boom or basket when working from an aerial lift.
Climbers shall not be worn while performing work from an aerial lift.
Boom and basket load limits specified by the manufacturer shall not be exceeded.
The insulated portion of an aerial lift shall not be altered in any manner that might reduce its insulating value.
For operations near overhead electric lines, the rule points to 1910.333(c)(3).

Insulated devices and ANSI A92

The rule defines an insulated aerial device as an aerial device designed for work on energized lines and apparatus. It says electrical tests shall conform to Section 5 of ANSI A92.2 from 1969, and that equivalent DC voltage tests may be used in place of the AC test if the manufacturer approves. It requires lifts acquired for use on or after July 1, 1975 to be built to that 1969 standard. The rule names no test interval. Later editions of the ANSI A92 standards are sold.

TCI Magazine, from the Tree Care Industry Association, summarised the upcoming revision of ANSI Z133 in a December 1, 2025 article on aerial lifts: annual inspection and dielectric testing shall be performed and documented per manufacturers' recommendations. That is a trade magazine's summary of a standard, not OSHA text. See the TCI Magazine article on aerial lifts. Work near lines is covered in working near power lines.

Canada

Workplace safety is provincial. British Columbia's Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, Part 13, covers elevating work platforms. Three sections are worth knowing:

Section 13.21: for each elevating work platform in use, the manufacturer's operation manual must be available at the workplace, and the maintenance manual reasonably available to workers.
Section 13.22: the employer must keep records of inspection, maintenance, repair or modification for each elevating work platform.
Section 13.23: a vehicle-mounted elevating work platform must be inspected in accordance with good engineering practice at least every 12 months, and certified in writing by the manufacturer or a professional engineer as complying with the Part and safe for use.

Part 19 adds that insulated hand tools and insulated aerial devices must be kept clean and dielectrically tested to a standard acceptable to WorkSafeBC, and notes that an insulated aerial device is not considered an insulated tool. See Part 13 on the WorkSafeBC site and Part 19.

The CSA B354 standards are sold.

United Kingdom

Three pieces of HSE material matter here. First, HSE's information sheet on the selection, management and use of mobile elevating work platforms, GEIS6, says MEWPs must be thoroughly examined at least every six months by a competent person, or more often under an examination scheme drawn up by such a person. The sheet ties this to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). HSE's thorough examination page lists 6 months for lifting equipment and accessories used to lift people, and says the examiner must complete a written report. See HSE on thorough examination.

Second, on operators, GEIS6 says it is the employer's responsibility to ensure that all MEWP operators have been adequately trained. It says "specific courses are not a strict legal requirement" and that recognised schemes are available, with a certificate or card listing the categories of MEWP the operator is trained on. See HSE GEIS6.

Third, HSE's tree work page says the Work at Height Regulations 2005 do not say MEWPs must be used for all tree work, but they should always be considered when planning. See HSE on MEWPs in tree work.

Australia

SafeWork NSW lists a high risk work licence class for boom-type elevating work platforms, WP. It says the class allows you to operate a telescoping, hinged or articulated device, or a combination, supporting a platform for people, where the boom length is 11 metres or more. It explains how boom length is measured, and says a licence expires after 5 years. See SafeWork NSW on high risk work licences.

WorkSafe WA says workers need a high risk work licence to operate a boom-type EWP where the boom is 11 m or more, and that the person in control must see the licence or written evidence. For other EWPs it says workers must still be trained, informed and instructed. See WorkSafe WA on elevating work platforms.

Energy Safe Victoria says Regulation 614 of the Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019 sets minimum distances from electric lines for an elevating work platform among other plant. See Energy Safe on managing trees near powerlines.

New Zealand

WorkSafe New Zealand's MEWP guideline says a competent person must thoroughly examine a MEWP after an accident, incident or major repair or modification, or at least every 6 months. It says a competent operator has achieved and demonstrated competency on that type of MEWP, that one means is nationally recognised NZQA unit standards or an equivalent or higher qualification, and that any course must cover AS 2550.10. The page shows Last updated October 10, 2017 and it was written before the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. See WorkSafe on mobile elevating work platforms.

The same guideline says to stay out of 4 metres from any power line without first contacting the power company, with written consent needed for work inside it, and it sets an exclusion zone from 4 to 6.4 metres. For fibreglass booms it asks for acoustic emission testing at least every 24 months, or sooner if a competent person recommends it, in addition to the six-monthly examination. NZQA unit standard 23961, Level 3 with 4 credits, covers operating a truck-mounted EWP. See the NZQA unit standard 23961.

At a glance

Country	Operator rule as stated	Inspection as stated
US	Only trained persons	Controls tested each day
Canada (BC)	Manuals on site	At least every 12 months
UK	Employer ensures training; cards are industry schemes	At least every six months
Australia	Licence class WP, boom 11 m or more	Not stated
New Zealand	Competent operator; NZQA units one route	At least every 6 months

Other rules on the job are in safety rules by country, and course names are in certifications by country.