The access-equipment world runs on shorthand — EWP, MEWP, SWL, WLL, NDT, a handful of Australian Standard numbers and a set of inspection terms that all sound similar. If you hire, own or manage this equipment without living in it every day, that shorthand can make a simple question hard to answer. This glossary explains the terms in plain English, grouped alphabetically, so you can read a quote, a logbook entry or an inspection report and know exactly what each word means. Definitions are general guidance grounded in the publicly available Australian Standards; always work from the current published standard and the machine's manual for the detail that applies to your equipment.
A
- Annual inspection — a documented, more detailed inspection carried out at least yearly (or as the machine's duty requires) by a competent person. It sits above the daily pre-start and routine checks but below the major inspection, and confirms the machine remains safe to keep in service for the year ahead.
- AS 1418.10 (AS/NZS 1418.10) — the Australian/New Zealand Standard covering the design and manufacture of mobile elevating work platforms. It governs how the machine is built; it is the design companion to the safe-use standard AS 2550.10.
- AS 2550.10 — the Australian Standard for the safe use of mobile elevating work platforms, part of the AS 2550 series on cranes, hoists and winches. It covers planning, selection, siting, operation, maintenance and the inspection regime across a machine's working life.
- Articulating boom — see Knuckle boom.
- Auger truck — a truck-mounted machine that drills holes and sets poles; see also Pole borer. Inspected for its digging, lifting and (where fitted) platform functions.
B
- Boom lift — an EWP that raises a platform on an extending or articulating arm (boom). Telescopic booms extend in a straight line for reach; articulating (knuckle) booms fold at joints to reach up and over obstructions.
- Bucket truck — a truck-mounted EWP with a platform (bucket) on a boom, common in utility, arborist and street-lighting work. Also called a cherry picker.
C
- Cherry picker — an everyday name for a boom-type EWP, especially a truck-mounted bucket unit used to lift a worker to height.
- Competent person — someone with the training, qualifications, knowledge and experience to carry out a specified task, such as an inspection, correctly. Australian Standards frame many inspection duties around a competent person.
- Critical component — a part whose failure would create a risk to health and safety. Identifying and assessing critical components is central to the inspection regime under AS 2550.10.
D
- Dielectric test — an electrical test that checks the insulating parts of an insulated EWP still resist the passage of current. It verifies the electrical protection crews rely on for live-line and near-line work; it is separate from the structural inspection.
- Duty holder — the person or organisation with the legal obligation to keep equipment safe and compliant — typically the owner, employer or operator responsible for the machine.
E
- EWP (elevating work platform) — any machine that lifts one or more workers on a platform to work at height. The umbrella term covers boom lifts, scissor lifts, vertical mast lifts and similar equipment.
- Envelope (working envelope) — the range of reach, height and positions a machine can safely operate within. Load-sensing and envelope-limiting systems keep the operator inside it.
I
- Insulated EWP — an EWP built with insulating components so it can be used safely near or on live electrical conductors. Its electrical protection is verified by dielectric testing, in addition to the usual structural inspection.
K
- Knuckle boom — an articulating boom lift that folds at one or more joints (knuckles) so the platform can reach up and over obstructions, rather than extending in a straight line like a telescopic boom.
L
- Load test — a controlled test that applies a known load to confirm a machine or component performs to its rating without excessive deflection or damage. Often paired with stability testing on EWPs.
- Logbook — the record kept with a machine documenting its use, maintenance, inspections and repairs. A complete logbook is central to demonstrating compliance.
M
- Major inspection — the deepest scheduled inspection in the regime, involving significant disassembly and non-destructive testing to re-verify the machine's structure and critical components. The interval is not universal: depending on the equipment class and duty, a major inspection typically falls due at a 5-year or 10-year point set by the relevant standard.
- MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) — an EWP that is also mobile — self-propelled, towed or truck-mounted. The term used throughout AS 2550.10 and AS/NZS 1418.10.
- MPI (magnetic particle inspection) — a non-destructive testing method that reveals surface and near-surface cracks in ferrous (magnetic) components by applying magnetic particles that gather at a flaw. Used on critical welds and structural members.
N
- NDT (non-destructive testing) — a family of techniques that check for cracks and flaws in a component without damaging it, such as magnetic particle inspection, dye penetrant, ultrasonic and radiographic (X-ray) methods. Central to a thorough major inspection.
O
- Outrigger — an extending leg that deploys from a machine's chassis to widen its base and stabilise it during a lift; see also Stabiliser.
P
- Pole borer — a truck-mounted machine that augers a hole, then lifts a pole from horizontal to vertical and holds it while it is set. It combines digging, crane-type lifting and sometimes a work platform on one chassis.
- Pre-start inspection — the quick visual and functional check an operator carries out before each use, the first line of defence in the inspection hierarchy.
- Pre-purchase inspection — an independent condition and compliance assessment carried out before buying a used machine, so the buyer knows its real state.
R
- Routine inspection — a regular check carried out more often than the annual inspection (for example weekly or per a set number of hours) to catch developing faults between deeper inspections.
- Radiographic testing (RT / X-ray) — a non-destructive testing method that uses radiation to image the internal condition of a weld or component, revealing flaws below the surface.
S
- Scissor lift — an EWP that raises a platform vertically on a folding, criss-crossing (scissor) mechanism, giving a large working platform straight up over a fixed footprint.
- Slew ring — the large bearing that lets a boom or crane rotate on its base. A critical component assessed for wear and free play during inspection.
- Spider lift — a compact, tracked or outrigger-stabilised boom lift with a narrow footprint and lightweight body, used where access is tight or floors are delicate; also called an atrium or tracked lift.
- Stabiliser — a leg or jack that deploys to steady a machine and widen its base during a lift; the term is often used interchangeably with outrigger.
- SWL (safe working load) — the maximum load a machine or item of lifting gear is rated to carry safely under normal conditions. Increasingly expressed as WLL.
T
- Telescopic boom — a boom that extends in a straight line, one section sliding out of another, for maximum reach — as distinct from an articulating (knuckle) boom.
- Truck-mounted EWP — an EWP built onto a truck chassis so it can drive between jobs on the road, common in utility, tree and sign work.
U
- Ultrasonic testing (UT) — a non-destructive testing method that uses high-frequency sound waves to detect internal flaws and measure thickness in a component.
V
- Vertical mast lift — a compact EWP that lifts an operator straight up on telescoping or sequenced mast sections; personnel lifts and low-level stock pickers are common examples.
W
- WLL (working load limit) — the maximum load an item of lifting equipment is designed and rated to bear. It is the modern term used in place of, or alongside, safe working load (SWL).
- Work at height — any work where a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury; the reason EWPs exist and the context for their inspection and safe-use obligations.
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.