EWP Site Suitability Checker
Before an elevated work platform rolls onto site, someone has to be satisfied the ground, the surroundings and the plan actually support the machine. Councils, government fleets, crane and EWP owners, Level 2 ASP electrical contractors, arborists and general trades all face the same set of questions: is the surface firm and level enough for the machine's chart, are overhead powerlines and obstructions accounted for, are the wind and weather limits on the plate respected, and is there an exclusion zone, traffic plan and rescue plan ready. This interactive MEWP site suitability checklist walks through those conditions and gives you a plain readiness score plus a list of the gaps still to close.
It is a planning aid to prompt the right conversations on site, not a permit or a sign-off. Working every item to "assessed" does not make a site safe on its own — the machine's own load chart and operator's manual, the local electricity network operator's rules on powerline clearances, and a competent person's judgement on the day always govern. Nothing here quotes a clearance distance or a ground bearing figure as fact, because those come from the network operator, the regulations and your own site data. Each gap links to a page that can help you close it, and you can call 0416 689 689 to talk it through.
Assess Your Site
Work through each condition for the site and machine you're planning. Mark items not applicable to leave them out of the readiness score.
Surface and ground conditions assessed for the machine
The surface has been checked as firm and stable enough for this machine's own load chart and outrigger or wheel loads — from your site data, not an assumed bearing figure.
Slope and level are within the chart limits
The gradient where the machine will set up and travel has been checked against the slope and level limits in the operator's manual.
Overhead powerline clearances assessed
Any overhead lines have been identified and the required clearances confirmed with the local electricity network operator — critical for Level 2 ASP and arborist work near live conductors.
Weather and wind limits read from the machine plate
The maximum wind speed and any weather restrictions have been read from this machine's plate or manual and checked against the forecast.
Ground obstructions and penetrations checked
Underground services, pits, trenches, cellars, drains and soft or reinstated ground have been located before the machine sets up.
Exclusion zone and traffic management planned
A drop zone, pedestrian and vehicle exclusion, and any traffic control needed for public areas or roadsides have been planned.
Rescue plan is in place
There is a workable plan and trained people to recover an operator from the platform if the machine fails or the operator is incapacitated.
Answer the conditions above to see your readiness score and any gaps to close.
How This Works & Assumptions
For each condition you answer assessed, gap or not applicable. The readiness score simply counts how many of the conditions that apply to your site you've confirmed are handled, so it always reflects your own honest answers rather than a pass or fail verdict from us. Marking an item not applicable takes it out of the score entirely — useful when, say, an indoor job genuinely has no overhead powerlines nearby.
Why these conditions: they are the set that most often stops or delays an EWP job — surface and slope against the machine's chart, overhead powerline clearances, the wind and weather limits on the plate, buried services and ground penetrations, the exclusion zone and traffic plan, and a rescue plan for someone stuck at height. Get these lined up and the day tends to run; miss one and it can halt the job or, worse, cause a tip-over or contact incident.
No invented numbers. The tool never states a powerline approach distance, a ground bearing capacity or a wind figure as fact. Those come from the local electricity network operator, the regulations, your own site investigation and the machine's plate and manual. This checker only asks whether you have checked them.
This is a planning aid, not a permit, a safe-work-method statement or a guarantee that a site is safe or compliant. The machine's load chart and manual, the network operator's rules and a competent person on the day always govern. If you'd like a second opinion, call 0416 689 689.
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