Risk assessment in accordance with BetrSichV for access-at-height technology: the guide for site managers

Before the first scissor lift or articulating boom lift stands on a construction site, a document must exist that many entrepreneurs underestimate: the risk assessment. It is not a formality but, in accordance with § 3 of the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (BetrSichV), the legal precondition for a work equipment such as a mobile elevating work platform or a telehandler to be used at all. Anyone who carries it out incorrectly or not at all is personally liable in the event of damage – regardless of whether the rental machine itself was technically flawless.

For site managers and safety officers, this therefore raises, before every enquiry to Luibl Rental, a question that begins well before the equipment selection: which hazards does the specific place of use bring with it, and which measures must be established before the first operator gets on? This guide leads step by step through the process and shows how the assessment concretely affects the choice of the right access-at-height technology.

The BetrSichV obliges the employer, or the site manager responsible on site, to identify and evaluate all associated hazards before the first-time use of a work equipment. This applies expressly to rented equipment as well: the responsibility for the assessment of the specific place of use remains with the operator, i.e. with the renting company – not with the rental company. Luibl Rental supplies a technically inspected, UVV-compliant machine, but whether this machine is suitable for the respective construction site, the ground and the weather conditions must be evaluated and documented by the operator itself.

This responsibility cannot be delegated without transferring it in writing. If a foreman or a chargehand is commissioned with the execution, this commissioning must be documented just like the assessment itself. If the document is missing during an inspection by the employers' liability insurance association, the risk assessment is legally considered not to have been carried out – even if work was actually carried out safely on the construction site.

The legally prescribed procedure follows a fixed scheme that can be made concrete for the use of work platforms and telehandlers. First, all hazards that can occur at the planned place of use are identified: the load-bearing capacity of the ground, possible wind loads in the outdoor area, the proximity to overhead power lines, traffic areas in the surroundings, as well as any fall edges or ceiling openings. Only when this list is complete does the evaluation follow – i.e. the estimation of how likely a damage event is and how severe the possible consequences would be.

On the basis of this evaluation, concrete measures are defined in the third step. Here the so-called TOP principle applies, which specifies the ranking of permissible protective measures: technical measures before organisational measures before personal protective equipment. For a work platform this means in practice: first it is checked whether a technical solution such as support plates for load distribution or an automatic wind-sensor shutdown can eliminate the hazard. Only when that is not sufficient do organisational measures follow, such as barriers and time windows for use, and lastly the personal protective equipment against falls as the last safety level for the operator.

In the fourth step, the defined measures are actually implemented and communicated to all involved – in particular to the operator of the work platform. The fifth and often neglected step is the verification of effectiveness: only when it has been checked that the measures actually take effect in everyday construction-site work is the process complete. If the conditions change – for example because a second construction phase begins or the ground changes due to weather – the assessment must be updated.

The specific hazards differ significantly depending on the equipment used, which is why a blanket assessment without reference to the equipment is usually inadequate in practice. With scissor lifts indoors, above all the floor loading from the point loads of the wheels and the ceiling height are in the foreground, while with diesel scissor lifts in outdoor use, wind load, ground unevenness and the need for support plates additionally become relevant. Articulating boom lifts, through their ability to reach laterally over obstacles, bring a different hazard category with them: here the assessment must capture the entire slewing range of the boom, including possible collisions with façade parts or lines.

Crawler platforms are used specifically for rough or sensitive terrain, for example in green spaces or on historic floors – here the risk assessment shifts more strongly towards ground pressure and surface load. With truck-mounted work platforms, a road-traffic-law component is added, since the set-up location on or next to public traffic areas entails additional safeguarding obligations. Anyone who is unsure which hazard category applies to the specific project finds, in the category overview of the work platforms from Luibl Rental, the technical key data of all platform types as a starting point for their own assessment.

The risk assessment does not stand in isolation but forms the basis for two further obligations that are closely interlinked in practice. From it results directly which qualification the operator must bring: anyone who determines, for example on the basis of the assessment, that an articulating boom lift with high slewing dynamics is used must ensure that the assigned operator has the appropriate IPAF category. Details on the individual categories and the written commissioning obligation are summarised in the guide on the IPAF operator card.

Likewise, the risk assessment is connected with the technical inspection of the equipment but does not replace it: the UVV inspection determines that the machine itself is safe, while the risk assessment evaluates whether the use at the specific location under the specific conditions is safe. Both documents are demanded independently of each other during an inspection. How the inspection documentation is organised at Luibl Rental and which proofs must be present on the equipment is explained in detail by the guide on the UVV inspection.

A risk assessment carried out verbally has no evidential value in court and during employers' liability insurance association inspections. The protocol must contain the place and period of use, the identified hazards, the defined measures according to the TOP principle, the responsible person and the date of the effectiveness check. The document is signed by the person who carried out the assessment, i.e. usually by the site manager or a specialist commissioned by them in writing.

The retention obligation is based on the duration in which the work equipment is used, but at least until the completion of the respective construction measure. For recurring, comparable assignments – for example when the same scissor lift is regularly used in the same works hall – an existing assessment can serve as a template, but must be checked and updated again with every significant change in the framework conditions.

To make it easier for site managers to get started, Luibl Rental provides a compact checklist that summarises all relevant inspection points for the use of work platforms and telehandlers in the correct order – from the ground assessment through the wind-load limits to the documentation template according to the TOP principle. The checklist does not replace an individual assessment on site, but provides a robust structure with which even site managers without a daily safety-specialist routine do not overlook any relevant inspection point.

As soon as the risk assessment is complete, it is usually also established which equipment category meets the requirements: an electric scissor lift for dust-free hall use, an articulating boom lift for work over obstacles or a crawler platform for sensitive outdoor surfaces. Luibl Rental delivers the right equipment throughout Europe including a valid UVV inspection sticker and supports with queries on the equipment selection, so that the technical measures defined in the assessment are actually implementable. Anyone who additionally needs operator training finds, in the training offer from Luibl Rental, suitable IPAF and System Card courses for all equipment categories.

Do I really have to create a risk assessment myself for a rented machine? Yes. The responsibility for the risk assessment lies with the operator, i.e. with the renting company, regardless of whether the equipment was bought or rented. Luibl Rental provides a technically inspected machine; the assessment of the specific place of use remains the task of the site manager.

Is a general risk assessment sufficient for all construction sites? No. Since ground, weather and ambient conditions differ from place of use to place of use, the assessment must be checked for each new place of use and adapted in the event of significant deviations.

What happens if no risk assessment is present during an inspection? If the document is missing, the assessment is legally considered not to have been carried out. This can lead to fines, an immediate operating ban and, in the event of damage, to personal liability of the responsible person.

How does the risk assessment differ from the UVV inspection? The UVV inspection confirms that the equipment itself is technically safe. The risk assessment evaluates whether the use of this equipment at the specific location under the specific conditions is safe. Both proofs are required independently of each other.

Who may carry out the risk assessment? Fundamentally the employer itself or a specialist person commissioned in writing, for example a site manager or a safety specialist. The commissioning must be documented.

Questions about the right equipment category for your assessed deployment case are answered by the Luibl Rental team during service hours Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00.

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