What is Powered Access

Powered access equipment is designed to enable people to work safely, productively and comfortably at height. It can be used in a comprehensive range of applications, both inside and outside buildings and structures.

Traditional methods of getting people, their tools and equipment up to an elevated work area include ladders, mobile access towers and scaffolding - all of which, if used incorrectly, may pose significant hazards in the workplace. In addition, they can be time-consuming and costly to erect or reposition in use.

An increased focus on safety in the workplace is a major factor in the accelerating rate of penetration of powered access equipment, which offers a safe, versatile and cost-effective alternative to traditional methods. For example, in the construction industry falls account for over 50% of all fatal accidents, and throughout Europe, legislation is being progressively tightened to help make it safer to carry out work at height. This campaign for improved safety will continue to drive market demand for powered access equipment across Europe as it has in the USA.

The main drivers of substitution for traditional access methods are:

• Commercial pressure to reduce project time scales - where speed, convenience and safety are prime concerns.
• Increasingly stringent health & safety legislation has led to higher standards of repair and maintenance in the workplace, together with the need to conduct risk assessments on all work activities.
• A growing awareness of the benefits of powered access across a wide range of market sectors outside construction
• Demonstrable cost-efficiency of powered access compared with methods such as aluminium towers and scaffolding, due to its low labour content.

 Lavendon is the European market leader in the rental of self-propelled booms and scissor lifts (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms or "MEWPs"), with a growing fleet of the more specialised truck-mounted access platforms.

Powered access machines are available for internal or external use. Battery-powered machines are used mainly inside existing buildings, where users have a requirement for quiet, emission-free machines. Diesel-powered equipment is often used externally where its greater power and traction enables a stable working-platform in rugged terrain and difficult conditions. Boom and scissor lifts are self-propelled for easy positioning and the work platform can be raised and lowered either from the ground or the elevated work platform. Many models are designed to be driven safely in the elevated position, thus adding to their flexibility and increasing productivity.

Powered access equipment is regularly used in a growing and diverse range of market sectors and applications including sign erection, broadcasting, telecommunications, construction and civil engineering, cleaning and inspection, building services, facilities management and industrial maintenance.