In activities involving a risk of falling from height, it is often not sufficient to merely secure the operator: safe access routes or methods to the roof must also be provided.
Where no predefined access is available (such as fixed ladders or roof openings), access via Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) may be unavoidable.
This practice is often considered unlawful, although this is not entirely correct.
According to Legislative Decree 81/08, the employer must select the most suitable means of access to temporary workstations at height, ensuring that:
MEWPs are designed in accordance with EN 280, harmonised with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, whose stated purpose is to define safety requirements for positioning persons at working locations where tasks are carried out from the platform, with the assumption that access to and exit from the platform occur at ground or chassis level.
As a result, the standard does not address the risks associated with exiting the platform at a higher level, but it does not explicitly prohibit such operations. Reference must therefore be made to the manufacturer’s operating manual, leading to three possible scenarios:
Where permitted, the operation must be carried out under fully controlled safety conditions. Unsafe practices, such as climbing over the MEWP guardrails, must be strictly avoided.
Wherever possible, purpose-designed access systems (e.g. fixed ladders with safety cages or integrated fall protection systems) should be preferred.
