# EWP Wind Limits and Weather Planning

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Quick answer: every EWP has a model-specific maximum wind speed on its compliance plate and in its operator manual, and some machines have different height or occupant ratings indoors and outdoors because of wind exposure. One machine's figure is not another's. Weather planning is four checks, not one: wind against the rating, rain against the ground, heat and cold against the batteries and the people, and lightning and visibility against common sense. Set stop-work triggers before the job, not during the gust.

## Find your machine's wind rating

The number lives on the compliance plate, the spec sheet and the operator manual for the machine you actually have, not in folklore. Examples from the specification sheets we hold on file:

- LGMG AR11J boom: maximum operating wind speed 12.5 m/s (about 45 km/h). This is that machine's figure; other booms in the boom lift range carry their own.
- LGMG S1212E-2 scissor: rated 14 m working height indoors and 9.5 m outdoors; wind exposure is the difference.
- LGMG SC0610EL-2 tracked scissor: 8.8 m indoors, 7.5 m outdoors, two people indoors and one outdoors.

Some electric slab scissors are indoor-only, with a wind rating of zero: they do not work outside at all, and a warehouse with the dock doors open can count as outside. The machine page lists the indoor and outdoor figures where the manufacturer publishes both, and we will read the plate for you if a figure is not clear.

## Measure, do not guess

Gusts matter more than averages, and height multiplies wind: the breeze at deck level is not the wind at 12 m. A handheld anemometer on the platform is cheap; forecast apps give planning numbers the night before. Materials change everything: a sheet of ply, a panel or a banner in hand is a sail that makes the rated limit irrelevant, and the code of practice treats handling sheet materials in wind as its own hazard with its own lower limit.

## Rain, heat, cold and stop-work triggers

Rain rarely stops an EWP directly; it stops the ground under it. Saturated soil and fill lose bearing capacity, outrigger feet and wheels settle, and delivery trucks rut the access path. After heavy rain, re-run the checks in Ground Conditions for Access Equipment before elevating, even in a spot that was fine yesterday. Wet decks and controls mean slower work; charging connections must stay dry, and electric slab machines should not sit exposed in driving rain.

Heat works on batteries and people. Batteries age fastest when charged hot, so park and charge in shade where you can; hydraulic systems run hotter on sustained duty; diesel engines need their coolant checked like any plant. The bigger risk is the operator: an elevated platform over a slab is a radiant oven, so plan work for mornings, shade breaks and water, the same heat plan the rest of the site runs, applied at height.

Cold is mild here by machine standards, but a 2-degree Berkshire Park morning still shows: battery capacity drops temporarily, so a machine that ran all day in March feels short in July; diesel engines want their warm-up; frost on a platform floor is a slip hazard until it burns off. Charging and runtime detail is in the charging guide.

Lightning within striking distance: lower, exit, shelter. An elevated platform is the tallest object around. Poor visibility (fog, dust, heavy rain): the exclusion zone and spotter system stop working, so do you. After a storm: walk the site again for debris on the machine, moved barriers, softened ground and damaged services, and treat the restart as a fresh pre-start.

Write the triggers into the SWMS or the day plan before anyone goes up:

- Wind gusts at platform height reach the model rating: lower and pause
- Handling sheet or banner materials: a lower trigger you set in advance
- Lightning risk: down and out
- Ground visibly wet or softened: re-assess before the next elevation
- Heat: scheduled breaks and water, and a stop point for the day
- Restart only after wind, ground and machine are re-checked

A written trigger removes the worst pressure on site, which is arguing about whether "it's fine". Anyone can stop unsafe work; the supervisor owns the restart after the re-checks pass.

## Exposure hides indoors too

"Indoor" jobs are not automatically wind-free: open dock doors, incomplete facades, atriums and half-built structures funnel wind. An outdoor rating applies wherever real wind reaches, whatever the roof status.

## Planning a weather-exposed hire

- Check the machine's rated wind speed and outdoor rating before booking exposed work, not after the westerly arrives
- Have an indoor task list ready for wind and rain days
- Re-walk unsealed access routes after heavy rain before the machine moves
- Charge overnight, under cover, every night; heat and cold both punish neglected batteries
- Build weather days into the hire length rather than paying for a machine that cannot work; tell us when weather stalls the job, options depend on the booking

Season-by-season detail for Western Sydney is in Operating EWPs in Australian Weather. Machines rated for outdoor work: boom lifts and rough terrain scissor lifts.

## FAQs

Are all EWPs rated for the same wind speed? No. Limits are model-specific, from zero (indoor-only) upward. The AR11J's limit is 12.5 m/s; check the plate on yours.

What is 12.5 m/s in real terms? About 45 km/h, a strong breeze that moves branches and makes sheet materials unmanageable well before the machine itself is at its limit.

Why does rain matter if wind is low? Because bearing capacity is the casualty: saturated ground settles under wheels and outrigger feet.

Can I keep working if gusts come and go? Plan against gusts, not lulls. If gusts touch the trigger, lower and wait; a gust arrives faster than a platform descends.

Is a boom or scissor safer in wind? Neither inherently. The machine with the higher rating and the lower profile for your task is safer; the rating decides, not the shape.

Figures from the manufacturer specification sheets held on file; specifications vary by model and the machine page is the reference.

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