The new NBN EN 280: relevant changes for users of aerial work platforms

NBN EN 280 is the European design and safety standard for mobile aerial work platforms. Anyone who uses aerial work platforms - owned or rented - holds a document that has a direct impact on user obligations, the risk assessment and the permissible use of machines.

In 2022, the previous single standard was split into two separate parts: NBN EN 280-1:2022 covers calculation, stability, construction, safety and testing. NBN EN 280-2:2022 deals with additional safety requirements for load handling devices on aerial work platforms. In addition, the draft standard prEN 280-1:2024 has been available since November 2024, bringing further clarifications - not yet ratified, but already setting the direction for manufacturers and inspection bodies.

This article explains which changes are relevant for day-to-day use and what users need to consider when selecting and using rental machines from Luibl Rental.

The old NBN EN 280:2016 was the single standard for all mobile aerial work platforms. The split into two parts from 2022 has substantive reasons: platforms used with load handling devices (e.g. a basket on telehandlers or suspended loads on the boom) have different risk profiles from standard platforms without additional load. NBN EN 280-2:2022 addresses precisely this combination and requires additional risk analyses that manufacturers and users must demonstrate separately.

For rental practice, this means: if a roto telehandler with a personnel basket is used as an aerial work platform, not only NBN EN 280-1 but also NBN EN 280-2 is relevant. For all machines in this configuration, Luibl Rental provides the associated technical data sheets and load charts, which are aligned with both parts of the standard.

New and clarified definitions

Compared with the previous standard (NBN EN 280:2016), NBN EN 280-1:2022 introduces several new definitions that are directly relevant to operation:

• Lowered travel position (new, clause 3.29): The standard defines for the first time a reference position from which travel with a raised platform is permitted under certain conditions. This is relevant for machines that are driven in a raised position - e.g. scissor lifts passing under obstacles.

• Elevated travel position (new, clause 3.31): Complements the lowered travel position as a defined operating state with its own safety requirements.

• Safety function (new, clause 3.30): The standard now explicitly distinguishes between safety-related and non-safety-related control functions. This affects the requirements for control electronics and fault monitoring.

• Travel (clarified, clause 3.12): The definition has been narrowed to clearly regulate borderline cases of travel at working height.

Stricter requirements for load sensing systems (clause 4.4.1.2)

Probably the most practically relevant change concerns the load sensing system. The requirements have been specified in considerably more detail than in the 2016 version. Modern aerial work platforms must continuously measure the actual basket load and compare it with the permissible load moment - taking into account the current outreach, the angle of inclination and the operating state (travel vs. lifting).

Simple cut-off mechanisms that only respond when the rated load is exceeded no longer fully meet the new requirements. The standard calls for dynamic load moment control that evaluates several parameters at the same time. Machines in the Luibl Rental rental fleet that were put into service after 2022 are equipped with suitably qualified systems.

Travel in the elevated position: group A and B (clause 4.6.9)

Clause 4.6.9 has been completely rewritten to clearly separate the different requirements for machine groups A (travel permitted only in the lowered position) and B (travel in the elevated position permitted under defined conditions).

This is relevant for users because the permissible travel behaviour of a machine must now be read unambiguously from the rating plate and the operating manual. Anyone who drives a group A scissor lift in the elevated position is acting in breach of the standard - regardless of whether a technical interlock prevents this or not.

Obstacle tests (clause 5.1.4.2.2.2)

The requirements for obstacle tests (anti-crush tests) have been clarified. The standard requires machines to stop automatically and initiate a relief movement if the basket or the lifting mechanism comes into contact with an obstacle. This is checked during type testing by means of defined obstacle tests. For users, this means: this function must be working before use and must not be deactivated - not even in confined work areas where it is perceived as a nuisance.

Anyone who uses a roto telehandler with a personnel basket as an aerial work platform is operating a combination that falls under NBN EN 280-2. The standard requires load handling devices attached to the lifting mechanism or to the basket to be checked separately for compatibility with the overall system.

The document deals with additional hazards that arise when loads are lifted together with the operating personnel - a situation that is excluded with classic aerial work platforms but is provided for by design with roto telehandlers in basket mode. Users must ensure that baskets and load handling devices meet the requirements of NBN EN 280-2 and that the manufacturer's documentation proves this.

For roto telehandlers with a basket attachment, Luibl Rental provides the associated conformity documents on request.

The draft prEN 280-1:2024 published in November 2024 continues the changes of the 2022 version and brings further clarifications to the clauses already revised. As it is a draft, its application is not yet mandatory - but it indicates the direction in which the standard is developing. Manufacturers who already design according to prEN 280-1:2024 are already compliant with the expected next binding version.

A facade construction company uses two articulating boom lifts from Luibl Rental for a glass installation. The basket is loaded with two fitters and tools to approx. 280 kg, and the working height is 22 metres.

The challenge: on windy working days, the operator must be able to assess reliably whether the current load in combination with the effect of the wind is still within the permissible parameters. Older machines that only monitor the rated load provide no differentiated feedback here.

The machines used have dynamic load moment control in accordance with NBN EN 280-1:2022 clause 4.4.1.2. The system shows the operator the current utilisation of the load moment in real time at the basket control panel and cuts off the lifting movement before a safety limit is exceeded. When the machine is handed over by Luibl Rental, this mechanism is demonstrated in practice and documented in the briefing report.

NBN EN 280 is a design standard - it is aimed primarily at manufacturers and sets out the technical requirements for the machine. The periodic inspection by an external technical inspection body (EDTC/SECT) checks whether the machine in use still corresponds to its original condition. The two complement each other but do not replace each other.

This results in a clear chain of obligations for users:

• When placed on the market, the machine must comply with NBN EN 280 in the applicable version (manufacturer's obligation)

• The operator ensures that only equipment with a valid CE marking and an up-to-date periodic inspection by an external technical inspection body (EDTC/SECT) is used

• The risk assessment at the site must take the machine parameters (rated load, wind class, travel group) into account

• Operators receive a machine-specific instruction that explicitly covers the safety-relevant functions under NBN EN 280-1

Every machine delivered by Luibl Rental carries the CE marking and has a valid inspection certificate from an external technical inspection body (EDTC/SECT). For questions about the standards compliance of specific models, Luibl Rental provides the manufacturer's documentation on request.

The changes in NBN EN 280-1:2022 are not theoretical shifts in the standard. They define in concrete terms which technical systems a machine must have, how these systems are to be checked and which travel rules apply. Anyone operating older machines from their own fleet that were built to EN 280:2016 or earlier versions must check whether the operating manual and the risk assessment still meet current requirements.

When you rent from Luibl Rental, you work with machines from a well-maintained, modern rental fleet. All relevant machine data - CE documentation, load charts, inspection reports - is provided on handover.

The Luibl Rental team answers questions about the standards compliance of rental machines or the technical requirements for your project during service hours, Mon-Fri, 08:00-17:00.

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What is the difference between NBN EN 280-1 and NBN EN 280-2?

NBN EN 280-1:2022 is the main standard and covers design calculations, stability, construction, safety and testing of all mobile elevating work platforms. NBN EN 280-2:2022 applies additionally to aerial work platforms fitted with load-handling devices - for example roto telehandlers with a personnel basket when loads are carried at the same time.

Do older aerial work platforms have to be upgraded?

No. EN 280 is a design standard aimed at manufacturers. For operators, the rule is: machines must comply with the standard to which they were built and placed on the market. There is no obligation to upgrade existing machines. However, the risk assessment must reflect the actual properties of the machine - not the requirements of a newer standard.

What do 'group A' and 'group B' mean for aerial work platforms?

Group A covers machines that may only travel in the lowered travel position (stowed position). Group B covers machines that may also travel in a raised position under defined conditions. The classification is shown on the rating plate and in the operating manual of the machine concerned.

Does NBN EN 280 also apply to rented machines?

Yes. As the operator of a rental machine, you have the same obligations as with your own machines. The machine must be CE-compliant and, at the time of use, have a valid periodic inspection by an external technical inspection body (EDTC/SECT). Luibl Rental ensures both on handover.

What changes with the draft standard prEN 280-1:2024?

The draft continues the clarifications of the 2022 version and is not yet binding. Manufacturers designing to prEN 280-1:2024 are already prepared for the expected next ratified version. For operators, nothing changes in the applicable obligations until the standard is adopted.