If you’re looking for the best equipment to work at heights, you should look no further than powered access machinery. Also known as Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs), these types of equipment are used across various industries with the construction and engineering industries getting the most use out of them. There’s plenty of different types of powered access machines that will help with completing specific tasks.

Traditional scaffolding and ladders for working at heights doesn’t hold a candle to the capabilities of powered access equipment. The benefits include increased safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. MEWPs can be moved easily, reduce setup time and provide stable platforms, leading to safer and more efficient work at heights compared to the limitations given by the two mentioned static options.

This article will explore the best powered access machines that will be beneficial to every industry. Continue reading to find out which MEWP will be best for you.

Powered Access Machines

Boom Lifts

Boom lifts stand out as exceptionally versatile powered access equipment, making them invaluable across nearly all industries. Their primary strength lies in their remarkable reach and articulation, allowing operators to access elevated areas over obstacles and at varying angles that other lifts simply cannot. This makes them indispensable in construction for structural work, in manufacturing for overhead maintenance, and even in entertainment for rigging lighting and sound. 

Their ability to extend both vertically and horizontally, combined with various platform options, means they can tackle diverse tasks. This ranges from intricate installations to heavy-duty material handling, thereby boosting efficiency and safety on countless job sites.

Scissor Lifts

Scissor lifts are one of the most popular powered access machines. They excel where stable, vertical elevation is key and are much more trustworthy than traditional work at height equipment. Scissor lifts offer expansive platform space and impressive lifting capacities, making them ideal for tasks requiring multiple workers, tools and materials at height. This allows for safe, efficient work on facades, ceilings, high shelving and assembly lines across virtually every industry, significantly boosting productivity and worker safety compared to ladders or scaffolding.

Super scissor lifts are also available and go up to heights of just under 100m, offering some of the largest reach in the powered access industry.

Low-Level Access

Low-level access equipment is very underrated, as it can be used for working at those heights that are just out of reach. These compact, often lightweight solutions, including push-around vertical lifts, podium steps and small scissor lifts, are designed for maximum manoeuvrability in confined spaces and on sensitive flooring. They are perfect for indoor maintenance, retail merchandising, office fit-outs and other construction finishing trades. 

Prioritising safety and efficiency over extensive height, low-level access minimises the risks associated with ladders and scaffolding for more precise jobs, making them the perfect machines to use in several types of industries.

Tracked Booms

Tracked booms are one of the most adaptable powered access machines. They have a robust, multi-jointed boom mounted on a crawler track chassis with independently adjustable outriggers that add to their versatility. This unique design enables them to navigate extraordinarily challenging terrain, from steep inclines and muddy construction sites to delicate indoor flooring like marble or parquet. Tracked booms exert minimal ground pressure, making them perfect for accessing sensitive environments such as historical buildings, sports stadiums or even tight backyard spaces for tree care. 

Their ability to fold down compactly for transport through standard doorways, then unfold to deliver impressive working heights and outreach, sets them apart as problem-solvers for the most demanding access challenges.

Trailer Mounted Booms

Trailer Mounted Booms are the ultimate solution for on-the-go versatility, uniquely combining impressive reach with unmatched portability. These agile booms hitch directly to a suitable vehicle, transforming virtually any truck or van into a mobile access platform. This capability eliminates expensive delivery costs and allows for rapid deployment across multiple sites, making them ideal for contractors working in any type of condition. 

Their quick setup with hydraulic outriggers, often with auto-levelling, ensures a stable platform for safe, flexible work at height.

Telehandlers

Powered access equipment might peak at telehandlers. What makes them unique is their telescopic boom, which acts as a hybrid of a forklift mast and a crane jib, extending both vertically and horizontally. Combining this with their rugged, all-terrain capabilities, they can navigate uneven construction sites, agricultural fields and industrial yards where forklifts would struggle. 

Their genius lies in the quick-hitch attachment system, enabling rapid transformation from a powerful material handler with forks to a mini-crane with a jib, a bulk loader with a bucket or even an elevated work platform. They can do the job of multiple machines and dramatically enhance operational flexibility and efficiency.

Spider Lifts

Spider lifts are very versatile and highly sought-after powered access machines due to their unique combination of compact design and expansive reach. Unlike traditional boom lifts or scissor lifts, their multi-jointed spider-legs allow them to stabilise on uneven terrain and navigate through narrow doorways or gates. This makes them ideal for challenging indoor and outdoor environments that other machines cannot. 

This agility means they can access delicate flooring or landscaped areas without causing damage, all while providing impressive working heights, which is particularly helpful for areas with artificial grass in Melbourne or across Australia.

Mast Lifts

Mast lifts have stable ascension with their rigid columns reaching skyward to place workers and their tools precisely where needed, often in environments where space is a precious commodity. Unlike their more expansive counterparts, mast lifts offer a minimalist footprint, allowing them to glide through tight spaces. Reaching good height levels, they are champions of efficiency.

Perhaps the best use of mast lifts is that they can assist with loading and unloading goods, especially in warehouses where space is limited. This can improve the moving of goods from one location to another.

Hoist

Whether it’s a nimble chain hoist that places components in a workshop or a robust wire rope hoist, these machines safeguard both personnel and payloads. Their versatility in capacity and application makes them fundamental to industries where efficiency and reliability is a very sought-after feature.

In healthcare, hoists assist individuals with limited mobility by facilitating transfers between different positions, such as from bed to wheelchair or bath. They also help prevent injuries to both the caregiver and the patient by reducing the need for manual lifting.

Forklifts

The most commonly known piece of equipment on this list, forklifts do class as powered access machines. It’s really good at lifting, carrying and stacking big loads, moving them from location to location. This makes it perfect for making warehouses work better, quickly moving boxes from trucks to tall shelves or putting them onto other trucks.

Forklifts are also key on building sites, easily moving building materials over bumpy ground. In factories, they make sure raw materials and finished products move smoothly.