Evaluating Your MEWP Operators

As you know, completing training alone does not ensure that MEWP operators are competent.

You also need to confirm that they possess the skills required to safely operate the specific equipment at your worksite. This is accomplished through conducting a practical evaluation for each operator in your specific workplace and on the equipment that they’ll be using.

Practical evaluations include observing operators carrying out a series of MEWP-related tasks, grading their performance, and documenting the results.

Evaluation Process

The practical evaluation process for aerial lift operators is usually pretty straightforward.

You will simply observe an operator performing duties on a specific MEWP in their work environment, grade their performance, and document the results on an evaluation checklist. Once you’ve completed the evaluation, you’ll determine whether or not the operator is competent and can operate the MEWP safely.

The following topics throughout this lesson on practical evaluations will go over some of the most popular MEWP-related tasks that need to be evaluated.

Practical Evaluation Checklist

We’ve included a practical evaluation checklist that you can use to evaluate your operators.

While this checklist is a great start and can work as-is, we recommend that you create a custom practical evaluation checklist, if possible, that contains specifics about your worksite and equipment. Download Practical Evaluation Checklist

Operator’s Manual

Each mobile elevating work platform comes with an operator’s manual that includes important information such as the extent and details of pre-operational inspections, operating requirements, safety requirements, and other important information about the MEWP.

You should review the operator’s manual for the equipment that you’re evaluating an operator on, prior to the evaluation. This will ensure that you’re accurately covering all aspects related to that piece of equipment.

Your operator should have also reviewed the manual during the theory or on-the-job portion of the training