MEWP Operator Certification — Part 1: Theory & Written Test
MEWP operator certification has two parts, and this course is Part 1: the theory training and the written test. You learn what a MEWP operator has to know, then prove it on a written test (80% to pass). Part 2 is the practical evaluation.
Deliver Part 1 of MEWP operator certification, the theory and the written test, as an operator’s journey, so the learner thinks like an operator — reading the machine, the ground and the sky before the platform moves, protecting everyone the platform can…
At a glance
Format: Online, self-paced and interactive
Length: about 3 hours 28 minutes, 8 modules
Pass mark: 80% on the final test
Certificate: QR-verified, valid for three years
Jurisdiction: Manitoba law and standards
Who this course is for
Designated and prospective operators of scissor lifts, boom lifts and vertical mast lifts
Trained occupants moving on to operate the machine
Workers entering an operator practical-evaluation pathway
Supervisors and qualified evaluators confirming that an operator has the theory before the practical evaluation
What you will learn
Explain what a MEWP operator is responsible for, and the path from Part 1 to Part 2 to written authorization
State which Manitoba duties apply to MEWPs and which CSA B354 standards are voluntary
Classify MEWPs by CSA B354 group (A/B) and type (1/2/3)
Identify the platform and ground controls, emergency stop and emergency lowering, guardrail system and anchor points, and read a machine’s limits on its decals
Perform a pre-use inspection and function test, and take a defective MEWP out of service
Course outline
The keys at the ground controls — Day one of the operator track. Nyla has ridden baskets for years and reaches for the keys; Grady keeps them.
Know the machine before it lifts you — Grady walks the platform with Nyla, basket on the ground: "Name it before you trust it." The controls at both stations, the emergency stop…
Two minutes on the ground — Start of the shift, the crew waiting at the steel. The pre-use inspection and the function test happen on the ground, before anyone trusts…
Read the ground, read the sky — Everything above the deck is decided by the ground below it and the sky above it.
Every metre it moves — Nyla at the controls, Grady walking beside her. Travel and positioning: stowed or raised, the route, the overhead, the crush point, the…
Clipped to the machine — The guardrail system, fall arrest, and the one exception Manitoba makes.
Bring it down — You cannot climb down from a MEWP. The rescue plan is made on the ground before anyone goes up: self-rescue, assisted lowering from the…
The last lift of the day — Lowered, stowed, parked and secured; defects written up and handed over; and then the keys — responsibility accepted, not permission…
Laws and standards covered
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210)
Manitoba WSH Regulation Part 28, ss.28.37–28.44
Manitoba WSH Regulation Part 22
Manitoba WSH Regulation Part 14
Certificate and renewal
Passing the final test issues a QR-verified certificate, valid for three years.
This certificate records Part 1 of MEWP operator certification: the theory training and the written test. Part 2, a practical evaluation by a qualified evaluator on the specific MEWP and within the workplace where the operator will work, remains mandatory in this program before the employer authorizes the operator in writing. Manitoba does not prescribe a MEWP operator certificate; this program follows CSA B354.8, the voluntary operator-training standard, and the employer’s duty to train workers in safe work procedures for powered mobile equipment (M.R. 217/2006 s.22.2).
Common questions
How long does MEWP Operator Certification take?
About 3 hours 28 minutes online, over 8 modules, at your own pace. It ends with a final test that needs 80% to pass.
How long is the MEWP Operator Certification certificate valid?
Three years from the day you pass. This program re-evaluates MEWP operators at least every three years, and sooner after an incident or near miss, observed unsafe operation, or a change of machine type or site.
Which laws and standards does MEWP Operator Certification cover?
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210); Manitoba WSH Regulation Part 28, ss.28.37–28.44; Manitoba WSH Regulation Part 22; and 5 more listed on this page.
Is the online certificate enough on its own?
This certificate records Part 1 of MEWP operator certification: the theory training and the written test. Part 2, a practical evaluation by a qualified evaluator on the specific MEWP and within the workplace where the operator will work, remains mandatory in this program before the employer authorizes the operator in writing. Manitoba does not prescribe a MEWP operator certificate; this program follows CSA B354.8, the voluntary operator-training standard, and the employer’s duty to train workers in safe work procedures for powered mobile equipment (M.R. 217/2006 s.22.2).
Is this course part of a training program?
Yes. It is included in Working at Heights Program.