Product Overview

Summary: This SOP sets out safe, step-by-step requirements for using scissor lifts during plastering works on Australian construction and fit‑out sites. It combines practical work instructions with WHS obligations to control fall risks, crush hazards, and overhead work exposures, helping your business protect workers while maintaining productivity at height.

Using scissor lifts for plastering dramatically improves access and efficiency, but it also introduces serious risks such as falls from height, tip‑overs, crush injuries, and contact with overhead services. This Safe Operating Procedure provides a clear, practical framework for planning, operating and supervising scissor lift use specifically in plastering environments – from residential builds and commercial fit‑outs through to large infrastructure projects. It guides workers and supervisors through pre‑start inspections, safe positioning around walls and ceilings, material handling in the platform, and coordinated work with other trades.

Developed in line with Australian WHS legislation and industry best practice, the SOP helps businesses demonstrate due diligence when using elevated work platforms for plasterboard installation, setting and sanding. It addresses common site challenges such as uneven slabs, congested work areas, overhead services, and time pressure that can lead to shortcuts. By implementing this procedure, you standardise how scissor lifts are selected, checked and used for plastering tasks, reduce incident potential, and provide a defensible training and induction tool for employees and subcontractors across your projects.

Key Benefits

• Ensure consistent, legally defensible safe work practices for scissor lift use during plastering activities.
• Reduce the risk of falls, crush injuries and tip‑overs by clearly defining pre‑start checks, exclusion zones and operating limits.
• Improve productivity at height by standardising how plasterboard, compounds and tools are safely loaded, handled and used on the platform.
• Support compliance with Australian WHS legislation, manufacturer instructions and elevated work platform guidance.
• Strengthen worker competence and supervision through clear role responsibilities, training requirements and communication protocols.

Who is this for?

• Plasterers
• Ceiling Fixers
• Drywall Installers
• Site Supervisors
• Construction Project Managers
• WHS Managers
• Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)
• Plant Operators
• Facilities and Maintenance Managers
• Principal Contractors

Hazards Addressed

• Falls from height while working from or entering/exiting the scissor lift platform
• Scissor lift tip‑over due to overloading, uneven or unstable ground, or excessive reach
• Crush and entrapment injuries between the platform and ceilings, soffits, beams or services during plastering overhead
• Collision with other plant, structures or workers in congested internal work areas
• Contact with overhead electrical services, lighting or temporary wiring
• Falling objects such as plasterboard sheets, tools and buckets from the platform
• Musculoskeletal injuries from manual handling of plasterboard and materials on and off the platform
• Slips, trips and falls on contaminated or cluttered platforms (dust, offcuts, tools, cords)
• Exposure to dust from sanding and cutting plasterboard in elevated positions
• Unauthorised or untrained use of scissor lifts by workers or subcontractors

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope – Use of Scissor Lifts in Plastering
• 2.0 References, Definitions and Abbreviations
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (PCBU, Supervisors, Operators, Plasterers, Other Trades)
• 4.0 Competency, Licensing and Training Requirements for Scissor Lift Use
• 5.0 Planning the Task and Site Assessment for Plastering at Height
• 6.0 Plant Selection – Choosing the Right Scissor Lift for Plastering Works
• 7.0 Pre‑Start Inspections and Safety Checks (Scissor Lift and Work Area)
• 8.0 Required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Safety Devices
• 9.0 Safe Operation Procedure – Moving, Positioning and Elevating the Lift
• 10.0 Safe Plastering Practices from the Platform (Fixing, Setting, Sanding, Finishing)
• 11.0 Material Handling and Load Management on the Platform
• 12.0 Working Near Overhead Structures, Services and Other Trades
• 13.0 Managing Hazards: Falls, Tip‑Overs, Crush Zones and Falling Objects
• 14.0 Traffic Management and Exclusion Zones Around the Scissor Lift
• 15.0 Communication, Signage and Coordination with Other Site Activities
• 16.0 Environmental Considerations – Ventilation, Dust and Noise Control
• 17.0 Emergency Procedures – Breakdown, Entrapment, Fall or Tip‑Over
• 18.0 Post‑Operation Shutdown, Securing and Storage of Scissor Lifts
• 19.0 Inspection, Maintenance and Defect Reporting Requirements
• 20.0 Recordkeeping, Review and Continuous Improvement of the SOP

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Regulations – Plant and Structures; Falls
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice
• AS 2550.10: Cranes, hoists and winches – Safe use – Mobile elevating work platforms
• AS/NZS 1891 series: Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices (where fall protection is required)
• AS/NZS 4801: Occupational health and safety management systems (superseded but still commonly referenced)
• Manufacturer’s operating manuals and instructions for specific scissor lift models