Workplace safety
What do facility teams use instead of ladders now?
If you are mapping the equipment landscape for an FM contract or a refresh of your facility's safety policy, the answer below reflects what European facility teams have settled on after fifteen years of moving away from ladders.
The market shift
Between 2010 and 2025, European facility-management buyers moved from a ladder-and-scaffold mix to a layered equipment fleet. The published IPAF Powered Access Rental Market Reports show consistent year-on-year growth of indoor MEWP categories — mast lifts, small scissor lifts, and personnel platforms — with corresponding decline in workplace ladder fleet size in the same buyers.
The driver is not regulation alone. Facility teams discovered the cost case: cycle-time recovery, eliminated two-person rules, lower insurance premiums. The safety case is the cover story; the economics is the real reason the shift happened.
What facility teams use, by working-height band
| Working height | Dominant equipment in 2026 | What it replaced |
|---|---|---|
| Below 2 m | Short stepladder, podium step | (no change) |
| 2 to 3.5 m | 3.5 m mast lift (PA or MA family) | 3 m stepladder |
| 3.5 to 6 m | 5 m or 6 m mast lift | 4 to 6 m stepladder, one-man tower |
| 6 to 10 m | Boom lift, large scissor lift | Scaffold tower |
| Above 10 m | Truck-mounted boom or rope access | (specialist work, no change) |
The 2 to 6 metre band is where the substitution happened most aggressively. This is the working-height range that covers most facility maintenance work — lighting, signage, sprinklers, HVAC vents, CCTV, ceiling cleaning, atrium glass — and it is the band where mast lifts dominate the new fleet.
Why mast lifts won the 2 to 6 metre band
Three structural reasons the indoor mast lift won this band over alternatives:
- Footprint. Mast lifts pass standard 800 mm doorways and fit 1.0 m goods elevators. Scissor lifts in the same working-height class do not.
- Reposition speed. Drives at low transit height. One-man towers must dismantle to relocate; scissors can drive but at reduced manoeuvrability indoors.
- Single-operator certification. EN 280 Type 1 / Group A allows single-operator work, removing the spotter rule.
The combination of these three is what made mast lifts the default for this band. No single feature is decisive; the combination is.
Where facility teams are still using ladders
Two slots remain in most facility fleets: short stepladders for genuine sub-2-metre tasks (changing a 2.4 m ceiling bulb, reaching a high cabinet) and occasional non-routine work above the indoor MEWP envelope where rental of a one-off piece of equipment is the norm. Outside these two slots, the ladder fleet has consistently shrunk.
Implications for your facility policy
If you are writing or refreshing a facility-team safety policy, the language that has settled on industry standard is roughly: "Above 2 metres of working height, EN 280 certified MEWP equipment is the default. Stepladders are permitted for tasks below 2 metres of working height with both feet on a stable rung. Above 2 metres, ladder use requires written exception approval from the safety officer."
The equipment that fulfils the "EN 280 certified MEWP" requirement for the 2 to 6 metre band, in the dominant configuration today, is the indoor mast lift. The dealer network and rental availability are mature. Lead times are measured in weeks for purchase, days for rental.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common indoor MEWP in European facility teams in 2026?
The mast lift (EN 280 Type 1 / Group A, working heights 3.5 to 6 metres) is the dominant indoor MEWP for the 2 to 6 metre working-height band. This band covers the majority of facility-maintenance work — lighting, signage, sprinklers, HVAC, CCTV, atrium cleaning. Above 6 metres, scissor lifts and boom lifts dominate.
Have facility teams fully eliminated ladders?
Not fully. Most facility fleets keep short stepladders for genuinely sub-2-metre tasks (changing a 2.4 m ceiling bulb, reaching cabinets). Above 2 metres, ladder use has been substantially replaced by EN 280 certified MEWP equipment. The ladder-fleet size in typical commercial buildings has shrunk by 60 to 90 percent over the period 2010 to 2025.
Why did mast lifts win the 2 to 6 metre band?
Three structural reasons combined: footprint that passes 800 mm doorways and fits 1.0 m goods elevators (where scissor lifts do not), reposition speed (drives at low transit height, no dismantle/re-erect cycle), and EN 280 Type 1 single-operator certification (no spotter rule). No single feature is decisive; the combination is.
Are mast lifts available for rental?
Yes, the European powered-access rental market includes mast lifts as a standard category through IPAF-member rental companies. Daily rental rates run roughly 40 to 60 GBP per day in the UK and equivalent in EUR across the continent. Most facility teams own one or two units and rent for peak demand.
See the equipment in your facility for a shift
The fastest way to evaluate whether a mast lift fits your operation is to put one in front of your team for a day. We bring the right model, train the operators, and let the work make the case.