Order Picker Elevated Operation
Safe operation of stand-up order picker trucks whose operator platform elevates with the load, covering truck-specific operator certification, the pre-shift examination additions unique to order pickers including harness and lanyard inspection and platform gate and interlock checks, the fall protection rule of tying off to the truck's designated anchor point whenever on the platform, mounting and dismounting, elevated travel and overhead clearances, the absolute prohibition on stepping from the platform onto racking or leaning outside the rails to reach a pick, pallet handling on the forks behind the platform, guided aisle operation, and protecting pedestrians below an elevated truck.
- Audience
- Certified order picker operators, the supervisors who assign and evaluate them, and maintenance personnel who service order picker trucks and their fall protection equipment
- Review cycle
- annual
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-17
- Revision
- 1
What is in the procedure
8 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.
- 01
Purpose
FixedThis procedure establishes safe operating practices for stand-up order picker trucks, also called stock pickers or cherry pickers, on which the operator platform elevates with the load.
- 02
Scope
CustomizedThis procedure applies to every order picker truck at the facility and to every certified order picker operator on every shift.
- 03
Responsibilities
CustomizedOperators complete the daily examination including the harness and platform checks before placing a truck in service, wear the harness and stay tied off to the designated anchor whenever on the platform, operate only...
- 04
Procedure: Pre-Shift Examination, Including Harness and Platform Checks
CustomizedExamine the truck before use, at least daily or after each shift where trucks run around the clock.
- 05
Procedure: Fall Protection, Mounting, and Dismounting
Fixed1. Put the harness on and adjust it snug before mounting the truck: leg straps and chest strap fastened, the dorsal D-ring centered between the shoulder blades.
- 06
Procedure: Elevated Travel, Overhead Clearances, and Pedestrians Below
Customized1. Before elevating in any aisle, know the overhead hazards in it: sprinkler heads and branch lines, building steel and beams, light fixtures, ducting, and dock door tracks.
- 07
Procedure: Pallet Handling on the Forks
Fixed1. The pallet rides on the forks behind the platform and elevates with you.
- 08
References
Fixed29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks.
OSHA references
Order Picker Elevated Operation: 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)
Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.
| Standard | Title | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1) | Powered industrial trucks: operator training | Order pickers are powered industrial trucks. The employer must ensure each operator is competent to operate the truck safely, demonstrated by successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in paragraph (l), and must ensure that training is completed before the operator is permitted to operate the truck except for training purposes. Because the training topics in paragraph (l)(3) are specific to the type of truck and the workplace conditions, certification on a sit-down forklift or a pallet jack does not qualify an operator to run an order picker. |
| 29 CFR 1910.178(m) | Powered industrial trucks: truck operations | Paragraph (m)(2) provides that no person may stand or pass under the elevated portion of any truck, whether loaded or empty. Paragraph (m)(3) prohibits unauthorized personnel from riding on powered industrial trucks and requires that a safe place to ride be provided where riding is authorized. Paragraph (m)(4) prohibits placing arms or legs between the uprights of the mast or outside the running lines of the truck. Paragraph (m)(5) requires that when a truck is left unattended, the load engaging means be fully lowered, the controls neutralized, the power shut off, and the brakes set, with wheels blocked on an incline; a truck is unattended when the operator is 25 feet or more away from it or leaves it out of view. Paragraph (m)(6) requires a safe distance from the edge of ramps and platforms and prohibits using trucks to open or close freight doors. Paragraph (m)(8) requires sufficient headroom under overhead installations, lights, pipes, and sprinkler systems. |
| 29 CFR 1910.178(n)(4) | Powered industrial trucks: traveling, obstructed vision | The driver must slow down and sound the horn at cross aisles and other locations where vision is obstructed, and must travel with the load trailing where the load being carried obstructs forward view. |
| 29 CFR 1910.178(p)(1) | Powered industrial trucks: trucks in need of repair | If at any time a powered industrial truck is found to be in need of repair, defective, or in any way unsafe, the truck must be taken out of service until it has been restored to safe operating condition. |
| 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7) | Powered industrial trucks: examination before use | Industrial trucks must be examined before being placed in service and must not be placed in service if the examination shows any condition adversely affecting safety. Examinations must be made at least daily, or after each shift when trucks are used around the clock, and defects when found must be immediately reported and corrected. |
| 29 CFR 1910.132(a) | Personal protective equipment: general requirements | Protective equipment must be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards of processes or environment capable of causing injury through physical contact. Paragraph (d) requires the employer to assess the workplace for hazards that necessitate PPE, select and require appropriate equipment, and verify the assessment with a written certification, and paragraph (f) requires training each employee who must use PPE in when it is necessary, how to don, doff, adjust, and wear it, its limitations, and its care and useful life. At this facility the full body harness and lanyard worn on the order picker platform is PPE covered by these duties. |
| 29 CFR 1910.176(a) | Handling materials, general: use of mechanical equipment | Where mechanical handling equipment is used, sufficient safe clearances must be allowed for aisles, at loading docks, through doorways, and wherever turns or passage must be made. Aisles and passageways must be kept clear and in good repair, with no obstruction across or in aisles that could create a hazard. |
Compliance checklist
What an inspector looks for
Only operators trained, evaluated, and certified on order picker trucks specifically operate them; certification on another truck type does not qualify
29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)
Trucks are examined before being placed in service, at least daily or after each shift in around-the-clock operations, including the harness, lanyard, anchor, gate, and interlock checks
29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)
A truck found defective or in any way unsafe is taken out of service until restored to safe operating condition by authorized personnel
29 CFR 1910.178(p)(1)
Operators wear a full body harness tied off to the truck's designated anchor point whenever on the platform, and never tie off to racking or building structure
The harness and lanyard are provided by the employer, maintained in reliable condition, covered by the facility PPE hazard assessment, and each operator is trained in their use, limitations, and care
29 CFR 1910.132(a)
No person stands or passes under the elevated portion of any truck, and pedestrians are kept out of aisles with an elevated order picker
29 CFR 1910.178(m)
Sufficient headroom is verified under sprinklers, lights, pipes, and overhead installations before and during elevation
29 CFR 1910.178(m)
Operators slow down and sound the horn at cross aisles and aisle ends and travel with the load trailing when it obstructs view
29 CFR 1910.178(n)(4)
Aisles and passageways provide sufficient safe clearance for the truck and are kept clear of obstructions
29 CFR 1910.176(a)
Waitlist
Generate this SOP for your facility
At launch you answer the facility questionnaire once and this template comes back with your equipment, your titles, and your sign-off sheet attached.
This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.