It is acceptable to use a personnel platform to raise and lower workers only when safer, conventional means of access are not possible or would be more dangerous.

Core rule

You should use a personnel platform to lift workers when:

  • Other normal access methods (like ladders, scaffolds, or standard manlifts) are impossible, impractical, or would create a greater hazard than using the personnel platform.

This is the principle behind training and safety questions that phrase the correct answer as:

“When other means of access would be more dangerous or impossible.”

Practical example

Imagine workers need to reach a spot where:

  • Scaffolding cannot be safely erected, or there is no room for it.
  • A standard aerial lift cannot reach without tipping risk.
  • A ladder would be unstable or place workers over traffic or machinery.

In that situation, a properly designed, rated, and secured personnel platform, used under strict safety rules, can be acceptable because every other method would be less safe or not feasible at all.

Safety backdrop (why this is strict)

Guidance on personnel platforms emphasizes:

  • Not overloading the platform beyond its rated capacity.
  • Using it only for employees and the tools/materials needed for that specific work (not as a general material hoist).
  • Following regulatory standards such as OSHA or equivalent national bodies.

So, in short: you only raise and lower workers with a personnel platform when all “normal” options are either impossible or introduce greater risk than the platform itself.