Advancements in construction have taken new heights, literally. While ladders remain staple equipment in households, offices, and construction firms, it’s those cherry pickers for hire that prove to be more reliable in special situations. The Guardian reports that in 2018 alone, over 20 people have died in “ladder-related falls in Australia” while dozens more suffer from debilitating injuries. This happens when ladders are used for jobs that involve higher risk instead of aerial work platforms or AWPs. These are machine-operated devices that provide higher safety standards for more hazardous jobs. Here are some circumstances when you should leave your ladder behind and rent an AWP.

Pruning tall trees

There are instances when trees need to be pruned as part of household or property maintenance. When they grow too thick or if their branches start to disturb electrical posts and cables, it’s time to do a good trim. Ladders are not usually the best to use since it will depend on something stable other than the tree itself to be pruned. A better option is to hire an AWP. There are cherry pickers for hire that can offer better stability and safety for the worker while giving the needed height. For pruning trees, a cherry picker below 6 meters is enough.

Working on high ceilings

For buildings or structures like churches that have very high ceilings, A-type step ladders are definitely not ideal to use. The safer option is the scissor lift. There are scissor lifts for hire in Sydney and what’s great about them is that they are meant for indoor use and it has a wide enough platform that’s perfect for tradesmen who do electrical jobs, paint jobs, or even just to clean those pesky cobwebs that accumulate on ceilings. Scissor lifts are also used in events production-like setting up backdrops or elaborate props.

Doing outdoor structural repairs

While there are cherry pickers for hire in doing construction-related jobs, they’re not the best option when mobility is a factor. One example is doing outdoor structural repairs or installations that require considerable movement from one point to the next. This includes mounting or fixing signage or billboard tarpaulins. A boom lift is more favorable in these kinds of work since you can drive it around versus a typical cherry picker with outriggers. There are a lot of boom lifts for hire online and some of them offer a wide range of choices and prices that match your needs.