ANSI is planning to publish the updated A92 suite of standards on Dec. 10, setting the stage to usher in sweeping changes for the design and use of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs).
The changes to the standards will affect manufacturers, dealers, rental companies, owners, and users of MEWPs. The new standards are more than six years and thousands of man-hours in the making, said Ted Beville, executive director of the Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA), which serves as the standards' secretariat.
Beville described the standards' approval by ANSI as a "milestone achievement" for the industry.
Tony Groat, the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) regional manager for North America and chairman for the A92.22 committee, confirmed that the standards will become effective in December 2019, 12 months from the standards' publication.
"All industry stakeholders need to begin their planning to implement the requirements of the new standards by the effective date," Groat said. "The current A92.3/5/6/8 standards will remain active during this time and will be withdrawn after the effective date of the new standards."
The new standards will be:
Chad Hislop, senior director of product management, Terex AWP, said Genie has been working in anticipation of the new standards' approval to ensure design compliance.
“From a manufacturer’s perspective, the changes to North American standards (ANSI A92 in the United States and CSA B354 in Canada) will create a new ‘normal’ for mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), formerly known as aerial work platforms (AWPs), worldwide," Hislop said. "Genie has been proactively working on a response to implementing the new ANSI requirements for more than two years, putting us in the position to offer effective, robust and reliable solutions that can be used worldwide."
Hislop said Genie's Xtra Capacity line, including the Z-45 XC, S-60 XC, S-65 XC, S-80 XC, S-85 XC, SX-105 XC, SX-125 XC, and the SX-135 XC models, will be in compliance. He said the company plans to introduce new compliant products and solutions in the future.
"In the coming year, all Genie machines will be evaluated and manufactured to be in compliance with the new standards," Hislop said.
IPAF has issued four separate guides to help dealers and users understand both the new ANSI standards for the U.S. and the CSA standards in Canada.
To download the new IPAF ANSI and CSA guides for users and dealers visit www.ipaf.org/resources or for further guidance about the new North America standards please contact USA@ipaf.org.