Australia's access equipment industry uses an enormous number of overlapping terms — EWP, MEWP, cherry picker, boom lift, aerial work platform, elevated work platform, personnel lift, scissor lift, spider lift — and a lot of buyers and site managers are not sure which term refers to which machine, or which machine is right for their job. This guide covers every major type of access equipment used on Australian work sites, explains what each is designed for, and clarifies which term goes with which machine.
EWP and MEWP: the overarching terms
EWP (Elevating Work Platform) and MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform) are the two broadest terms for the category. Both refer to any machine that lifts a person to a working position at height on a platform or basket. MEWP is the current international standard term; EWP is the traditional Australian term still used by Safe Work Australia, state regulators, and most Australian operators. For practical purposes on Australian work sites, the two terms are interchangeable.
Every scissor lift, boom lift, cherry picker, spider lift, vertical mast lift and trailer-mounted EWP is a MEWP. The term does not describe a specific machine — it describes the entire category. When a regulation or Australian Standard refers to MEWPs, it applies equally to your scissor lift, your truck-mounted cherry picker, and your self-propelled articulating boom lift.
Cherry picker: the most recognised Australian term
Cherry picker is the most widely recognised informal term for an elevated work platform in Australia. It is most commonly used to describe a truck-mounted articulating or telescopic boom unit — the type you see on the back of Isuzu, Hino, Mitsubishi and Ford utility trucks used by electrical contractors, arborists, telecommunications crews, and local councils.
The term comes from the original use of truck-mounted boom platforms in the fruit industry — literally picking cherries from height. Today the name has stuck across a much broader range of industries and machine types. On Australian work sites, 'cherry picker' most often means a truck-mounted boom EWP, though the term is sometimes used loosely to describe any boom lift.
Well-known cherry picker brands in Australia include Terex, Altec, Nifty Lift, Elliott, Versalift, Ruthmann and Palfinger. Truck chassis used include Isuzu, Hino, Mitsubishi Fuso, Ford Ranger and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, depending on the size of the EWP unit fitted.
Boom lifts: articulating and telescopic
Boom lifts are self-propelled MEWPs that use a hydraulic boom to lift the operator's basket to height. They are the most versatile access equipment type on Australian construction and maintenance sites because the boom can position the basket with a horizontal offset from the machine's base — reaching over obstacles, under ledges, and around structures that a scissor lift or vertical mast cannot access.
Articulating boom lifts have two or more boom sections joined at a knuckle. The lower boom lifts; the upper jib can angle independently, allowing the machine to fold over a wall, reach around a pillar, or extend past the vertical. Models from Genie (Z series), JLG (400AJ, 600AJ, 800AJ), Haulotte (HA series) and Skyjack (SJ-B series) are common in Australian hire fleets.
Telescopic boom lifts extend in a straight line from the turntable. They achieve greater horizontal reach than articulating models at equivalent height, making them the preferred choice for open-site overhead access. Genie S series, JLG 600S, 800S and 1200SJP, and Snorkel telescopic models are regularly seen on Australian infrastructure and construction projects.
Scissor lifts: the indoor workhorse
Scissor lifts are the most common type of MEWP on Australian indoor work sites. They lift the platform directly upward using a crossing-arm (scissor) mechanism — no boom, no horizontal offset. The platform stays above the machine's footprint, making them stable and simple to operate.
Electric scissor lifts (zero direct emissions) are standard for indoor commercial construction, warehouse maintenance, retail fitout, schools, hospitals and aged care facilities across Australia. Key brands include Genie GS series, JLG ES series, Skyjack SJIII series, Haulotte Compact series, Snorkel electric range and Dingli. Rough terrain diesel scissor lifts — from the same manufacturers — handle outdoor construction ground where an electric slab model would be inappropriate.
Vertical mast lifts and personnel lifts
Vertical mast lifts — also called personnel lifts or stock pickers — are compact, lightweight MEWPs for single-person use at low to moderate heights. They are the narrowest and lightest machines in the access equipment category, designed to fit through standard doorways and operate in spaces where even a narrow-aisle scissor lift is too large.
Common in warehousing, logistics, retail, and light maintenance, vertical mast lifts from Genie, JLG and Haulotte are a regular sight in Australian distribution centres and large format retail stores.
Spider lifts: the access specialist
Spider lifts (also called tracked boom lifts or crawler lifts) are compact, tracked MEWPs with extendable outrigger legs that allow them to set up on uneven ground, slopes, and soft terrain. They can fit through narrow doorways and access areas that wheeled self-propelled machines cannot reach.
In Australia, spider lifts are used extensively in heritage building restoration, indoor high-bay construction, steep site access, orchards and vineyards, and any environment where the combination of narrow access, uneven ground, and height makes conventional EWPs impractical. Palazzani, Hinowa, Teupen, Platform Basket and Omme Lift spider lift models are available through Australian distributors.
Trailer-mounted EWPs
Trailer-mounted EWPs are towed to site behind a light vehicle and deployed using outriggers. They provide boom lift capability without the cost of a dedicated truck-mounted unit, making them popular with small electrical contractors, arborists, sign installers, and councils in regional areas.
Nifty Lift, Platform Basket, Teupen, Up Right and CTE trailer-mounted EWPs are available in Australia in a range of heights. The trade-off against a truck-mounted unit is lower working height and reach in most cases, and the requirement for a separate tow vehicle.
Cranes: when you need to lift loads, not people
Cranes — loader cranes, pick-and-carry cranes, and tower cranes — are fundamentally different from EWPs and MEWPs. A crane lifts and moves loads; an EWP or cherry picker lifts people to a working position. The two serve different purposes, though truck-mounted combination machines (such as a crane borer truck with an EWP attachment, or a hiab crane fitted with an approved work platform) can serve both functions.
On Australian work sites, the choice between a crane and a boom lift or cherry picker usually comes down to this: if you need to move a load through space, use a crane. If you need to position a person at height to do work, use an EWP or MEWP. Loader crane brands common in Australia include UNIC, Fassi, Hiab, Palfinger and Tadano.
Telehandlers: the hybrid option
Telehandlers (telescopic handlers) are not MEWPs in the strict sense, but when fitted with an approved work platform attachment, they can be used to lift personnel — subject to engineering approval and specific operational controls. Without an approved work platform, telehandlers are load-handling equipment only.
Manitou, JLG, JCB, Merlo and Skytrak telehandlers are widely used on Australian construction sites. If a work platform attachment is fitted to a telehandler for people-lifting purposes, the machine and its use must meet the same compliance requirements as any other MEWP.
This guide is general information prepared by EWP Australia and is grounded in publicly available Australian Standards and Safe Work Australia material. It is not a substitute for the current published edition of the relevant standard or for site-specific engineering advice. Always work from the current standard and consult a competent person for your specific equipment and application.