A machine that has sat unused for months is not simply ready to lift the moment someone climbs aboard. Idle time degrades an EWP in ways that are easy to miss precisely because nothing was happening to cause them — seals dry out, moisture condenses inside systems, rubber perishes and small corrosion takes hold where movement and lubrication used to keep it at bay. Recommissioning is the disciplined process of finding and putting right what storage has done before the unit carries a person again. This guide covers what degrades, the checks that matter and when the return to service needs a formal inspection rather than a workshop once-over.
What idle time does to a machine
The counterintuitive truth is that standing still can be harder on some parts of an EWP than working. Regular operation keeps seals conditioned, redistributes lubrication and pushes moisture out of systems; take that away and several forms of quiet deterioration set in.
Common storage-related degradation:
- Seals and O-rings drying out, taking a set or perishing, so they weep or bypass when the machine is first pressurised.
- Moisture condensing inside hydraulic reservoirs, gearboxes and electrical enclosures as the machine heats and cools through day-night cycles.
- Rubber and plastics — hoses, tyres, boots and grommets — hardening, cracking or perishing under time and UV.
- Corrosion starting on exposed cylinder rods, unpainted surfaces and inside crevices where protective grease has drained or washed away.
- Batteries discharging and sulphating, and electrical contacts corroding, so control and safety systems misbehave on start-up.
Start with the records and the clock
Before touching the machine, check where it sits in its inspection cycle. Time in storage still counts toward the calendar-based intervals — a periodic inspection can fall due while a unit is parked, and the major inspection clock runs from the date of manufacture regardless of whether the machine was working.
So the first recommissioning question is whether any inspection interval has lapsed during storage. A machine whose periodic inspection expired while it sat, or whose class-based major has come due, cannot simply be returned to work on the strength of a quick check; it needs the inspection it is due for first.
The static checks before anything moves
Recommissioning proceeds from static to running. With the machine cold and unpowered, a thorough walk-around finds the damage and degradation that storage has caused before any energy is put into the systems.
- Inspect hoses, tyres and rubber components for cracking, perishing and flat spots, and cylinder rods for corrosion and scoring.
- Check fluid levels and condition — look for water contamination in the hydraulic oil and signs that fluids have degraded or separated.
- Examine the structure, platform, guardrails and anchor points for corrosion that has taken hold during the idle period.
- Assess batteries, terminals and electrical connections for discharge, corrosion and damage from moisture ingress.
- Look for pest and debris intrusion — nests, dirt and blockages in vents, filters and cooling paths are common after a long stand.
Bringing the systems back to life
Once the static checks are satisfactory, the machine is brought back to running condition carefully rather than simply switched on and worked. The aim is to re-condition the systems and confirm they behave before anyone relies on them at height.
Lubrication points are re-greased so bearings and pivots run on fresh grease from the first movement. The hydraulic system is checked and, where the oil shows water or degradation, the fluid is renewed and the system bled of air. Functions are then exercised slowly through their full range on the ground controls, watching for leaks, drift, sticking and abnormal noise before the platform is trusted with load.
Testing the safety systems
The systems most likely to have quietly failed in storage are also the ones that matter most: the safety devices. Interlocks, emergency lowering and load-sensing systems all depend on electrical and hydraulic components that corrosion and moisture attack while a machine sits.
Every safety device is function-tested as part of recommissioning, because a machine that lifts smoothly but whose emergency lowering has seized, or whose interlock no longer inhibits the wrong function, is not safe to return to service. These tests are non-negotiable regardless of how well the rest of the machine has come back.
When a formal inspection is required
A workshop recommissioning by a competent person is enough for a machine that stored well and remains within its inspection intervals. But there are clear situations where the return to service must go through a formal inspection instead.
- Any periodic or major inspection interval has lapsed during storage — the due inspection must be completed before the machine works.
- The storage conditions were poor or unknown, or the machine shows corrosion or degradation that casts doubt on its structural or system condition.
- There is no reliable record of how long the unit stood or what state it was in when parked, so its condition cannot be assumed.
- The recommissioning checks themselves reveal faults that point to deeper assessment being needed before the machine is trusted.
Returning the machine to service with confidence
Done properly, recommissioning ends with a machine that has been proven, not assumed, to be ready — its degradation found and fixed, its systems re-conditioned, its safety devices tested and its inspection status confirmed current. The work should be recorded against the logbook so the return to service is part of the machine's history.
If a stored unit is due an inspection, or its condition after a long stand is uncertain, EWP Australia can inspect it and recommission it before it goes back to work. Arrange it by calling 0416 689 689.
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.