In this guide
Access platforms, known in the trade as mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), look interchangeable until you stand under the job. The two workhorses, the scissor lift and the boom lift, solve different problems. This guide gives you a quick way to choose, then the details that decide whether the machine you pick will actually do the job safely.
The deciding question
Where is the work, relative to the place where the machine can stand? If the work is directly above a firm, level spot, a scissor lift is usually the simpler answer. If the work is out beyond an obstacle, or the machine cannot stand under it, you need the outreach of a boom.
Side by side
| Scissor lift | Boom lift | |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Straight up and down | Up, out and over |
| Platform | Large, with room for several people and materials | Smaller, usually for one or two people with tools |
| Reach | Vertical only | Vertical plus outreach |
| Typical work | Ceilings, overhead services, racking, flat runs of cladding | Facades, steel erection, work behind obstacles, signage, positions that change often |
| Ground | Slab models need firm, level floors; rough-terrain models cope with uneven ground | Rough-terrain models suit uneven ground; compact electric models suit indoors |
| Power | Electric is common indoors; engine-driven models for outdoor sites | Electric, diesel or hybrid |
Four factors that decide it
1. Reach pattern. Draw the job, not the machine. Mark where the machine can stand and where the work is. If a straight line up from a standing place reaches every work point, a scissor lift will do. If any point needs outreach, a boom is the answer. Telescopic booms give the longest straight outreach, and articulated booms get up and over obstacles.
2. Surface and location. Indoors, check floor loading, because scissor lifts are heavy for their height, and check door, lift and corridor sizes against the machine's width and weight. Use non-marking tyres on finished floors and electric power where fumes would build up. Outdoors, assess the ground for slopes, soft areas, voids and drains, and choose a rough-terrain model if the ground is not firm and level.
3. People and load. Count the people and the tools and materials they must carry, and compare with the platform's rated load. The permitted load can change as a boom extends, so check the machine's chart. If the job is moving materials rather than people, a telehandler or a crane is the correct tool.
4. Power, noise and emissions. Electric machines are quiet and suit occupied or enclosed spaces, but they need a charging arrangement and have limits on continuous running time. Diesel machines suit remote or long outdoor work. Hybrids sit in between.
Sizing the machine
Platform height is the height of the platform floor; working height adds roughly two metres of reach for a person standing on it. Choose from the working height you need and add a margin so that the machine is not working at its limit. Bigger is not better: larger machines weigh more, need more space and cost more to deliver. In our catalogue you can browse booms by working height, for example 20 m boom lifts in Riyadh, and scissors by working height, for example 10 m scissor lifts in Jeddah.
Wind and weather
Every machine has a maximum permitted wind speed in its manual. Outdoor work, especially on tall booms, needs a check against that figure and against the forecast, and a clear rule about who stops work and when. In summer, plan for heat on the platform and for how it affects the crew's working hours.
Safety and competence
Your client's site requirements and the applicable local regulations decide the details, but a good vendor and a good site team will cover these points:
- Training and familiarisation: operators trained for the type of platform and shown the controls of the exact model.
- Daily pre-use checks by the operator, and a current periodic inspection record for the machine.
- Fall protection: follow the manufacturer's manual and the site rules on harnesses and anchor points, which commonly differ between boom lifts and scissor lifts.
- Rescue plan: ground controls, emergency lowering, and a trained person on the ground who can use them.
- Ground assessment before every set-up, and an exclusion zone below the platform.
- Overhead hazards: power lines, structures and moving equipment. Keep the safe distances your site specifies.
- Never use the platform as a crane, never exceed the rated load and never climb on the guardrails.
An independent inspection can confirm the condition of a machine before it goes on site, and operator training can fill gaps in your crew's competence.
Common mistakes
- Choosing by platform height alone. Outreach, weight, width and the way the machine gets to the work matter just as much.
- Ordering a diesel machine for an enclosed or occupied space. Exhaust fumes and noise make it unusable in many indoor jobs.
- Assuming any floor will carry a scissor lift. Check the floor loading and look for voids such as service trenches, basements, ramps and covers before the machine is driven in.
- Starting without a wind check. A calm morning does not mean a calm afternoon, so agree the limit and who watches it.
- Letting someone drive it who has not seen the controls of that exact model. Controls and emergency functions differ between makes.
- Forgetting delivery. A machine that cannot fit through the door, onto the goods lift or along the access road is not available to you.
- Having no rescue plan. Decide before work starts who can lower the platform from the ground and how they will do it.
What to ask the vendor
- Make, model, working height and platform capacity.
- Power type, charging or fuel arrangements, and expected run time per shift.
- Machine width, weight and transport dimensions, to check access.
- Tyre type, for finished floors.
- Date of the last periodic inspection and the maintenance record.
- Operator training or familiarisation offered, and the wind limit for the model.
- Delivery and collection terms, and a replacement if it breaks down.
A quick decision path
- Can the machine stand directly under every work point, on firm, level ground? If yes, start with a scissor lift.
- Do you need to reach over, around or beyond an obstacle? If yes, choose a boom.
- Is the surface rough or soft? Choose a rough-terrain model of either type.
- Is the space enclosed or occupied? Prefer electric.
- Are you moving heavy materials? Add a telehandler or a crane to the plan.
Browse boom lifts and scissor lifts for rent in Saudi Arabia, or send one request for quote with the working height, location and dates, and vendors will propose the machine.