Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) — cherry pickers, scissor lifts, boom lifts and aerial work platforms — are among the most widely used height-access methods across UK construction, facilities management, arboriculture and telecommunications. They are fast and flexible compared with scaffolding, but when MEWP accidents happen they are frequently fatal. This guide brings together the latest verified powered-access data from the IPAF Global Safety Report 2025 (covering 2024), the Access Industry Forum and the British Safety Council, set against the duties UK employers carry under the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
Key facts and figures
- 170 MEWP incident reports were submitted to the IPAF global portal in 2024 — down around 15% on 2023.
- 26% fall in powered-access fatalities recorded in 2024 compared with 2023.
- 28 entrapment fatalities in 2024 — the highest count among accident causes, up 62% on 2023.
- 11 overturn fatalities and 19 overturn major injuries in 2024.
- 20 fatalities were caused by falls from the platform in 2024.
- 37% of accidents occurred in the construction sector — the single largest share.
All figures on this page are drawn from the IPAF Global Safety Report 2025, which analyses powered-access accident data for 2024.
MEWPs and cherry pickers: productive but potentially fatal
MEWPs rank among the most prevalent height-access methods across UK construction, facilities management, arboriculture, telecommunications and related industries. While these systems offer speed and flexibility compared with scaffolding alternatives, accidents involving MEWPs frequently prove fatal.
IPAF recorded 170 incident reports on its global portal in 2024, a decrease of about 15% on 2023. Fatalities fell by 26% year on year — a welcome improvement, but the severity of the incidents that do occur remains the central concern.
MEWP types and risk profiles
MEWPs are grouped by category, and the data shows that some categories appear far more often in serious incidents than others.
Category 1 – vertical mast lifts. Category 1a machines are push-around verticals designed for interior use. Category 1b covers vehicle- or trailer-mounted boom lifts — the traditional cherry pickers used in telecommunications, electrical work and arboriculture. Category 1b machines represented the largest proportion of fatal and major incidents in 2024, at 34%.
Category 3 – self-propelled MEWPs. Category 3a machines are mobile vertical lifts (scissor lifts) used in construction, warehousing and facilities management. Category 3b covers self-propelled boom lifts used across construction and industrial operations. Both 3a and 3b accounted for equivalent proportions of fatal and major incidents in 2024, at 26% each.
| MEWP machine category | Share of fatal & major accidents (2024) |
|---|---|
| Category 1b — vehicle/trailer-mounted boom (cherry picker) | 34% |
| Category 3a — mobile vertical (scissor lift) | 26% |
| Category 3b — self-propelled boom | 26% |
The three leading MEWP accident causes
IPAF data points to three dominant causes of serious MEWP accidents: overturns, entrapment and falls from the platform.
Overturns. Overturn incidents occur when a machine loses stability due to ground conditions (soft surfaces, slopes, voids), positioning errors, contact with overhead obstacles during movement, or operation on uneven terrain beyond rated stability parameters. This remains the decade-long dominant incident category. In 2024, overturns caused 11 fatalities and 19 major injuries — a 56% reduction in overturn fatalities.
Entrapment. Entrapment happens when operators or occupants are crushed or trapped between platform controls, guardrails and immovable structures — for example steering a platform into structural obstructions while looking upward, or ground-level controls moving a platform with occupants inside into overhead steelwork. Entrapment carries extremely high fatality rates: 28 fatalities occurred in 2024, the highest count among accident causes and a 62% increase on 2023. Over the previous decade, entrapment caused 118 fatalities and 16 major injuries.
Falls from the platform. Falls occur when occupants fall or are ejected from a MEWP platform due to inadequate guardrails, external object strikes, working beyond the guardrail envelope, harness non-compliance or machine movement. Falls from significant heights typically have severe or fatal consequences. In 2024, falls caused 20 fatalities.
Electrocution remains a further critical risk. Over the 2016–2020 period, 97 electrocution incidents resulted in 91 fatalities — a fatality rate of close to 100%.
| Accident cause | Fatalities (2024) | Major injuries (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Entrapment | 28 | — |
| Falls from the platform | 20 | — |
| Overturns | 11 | 19 |
Which sectors are most affected?
Accidents are concentrated in a handful of industries. The construction sector accounted for 37% of accidents — by far the largest single share — while arboriculture and electrical work each accounted for 13%. These are the same sectors that rely most heavily on cherry pickers and self-propelled booms for everyday access work.
Training: the single most important control
IPAF global accident data consistently shows that most MEWP incidents involve operators without structured training. Structured operator training is the most significant preventive measure available.
Effective MEWP operator training covers knowledge of the machine categories and their risk profiles, pre-use inspection procedures, safe operating techniques for specific machine types, ground-conditions assessment, emergency lowering and rescue procedures, and overhead hazard recognition.
The IPAF PAL (Powered Access Licence) card is the recognised UK standard for MEWP operator competence. An operator without a valid PAL card for their machine category is not competent, and the employer is not compliant with the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
Legal requirements for MEWP use
Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, MEWPs must be:
- Suitable for the task — the appropriate type and specification for the working environment, task and load.
- Regularly inspected — thorough examinations at the intervals specified in the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).
- Operated by trained, competent persons — IPAF training or an equivalent recognised qualification.
- Risk-assessed — every environment assessed before deployment, covering ground conditions, overhead hazards, bystander risks and wind exposure.
- Supervised — supervisors holding the IPAF MEWPs for Managers qualification or equivalent.
Sources & references
- IPAF — Global Safety Report 2025 (covering 2024 data)
- Access Industry Forum — A 26% decrease in powered access fatalities in 2024
- British Safety Council — Powered access: what does the accident data show?
- IPAF — Global Safety Campaign 2025: Stop Overturns
- HSE — Work at Height Regulations 2005 and LOLER 1998 guidance
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Mark writes about working at height, powered access safety, compliance and accredited training for Working at Heights Course, part of Online CPD Academy.