Which lift should I use for work in a church?

Inside a church only electric machines are used: no exhaust fumes and a quiet drive. Under the vault of the nave, where the machine can stand under the place of work, an electric scissor lift is usually enough. When you need to reach over the pews, the altar or the choir balustrade, an electric articulating boom lift is used, and in narrow passages a self-propelled vertical mast lift less than 1 m wide.

Will the lift fit through the church doors?

It depends on the machine and the doors, which is why the clear width and height of the doors and of the passages between the pews are measured before choosing. The machine datasheets give the width and height in the transport position. Narrow scissor lifts and mast lifts are less than 1 m wide, while electric articulating boom lifts are from about 1.2 m wide (Genie Z-30/20N RJ — 1.19 m, Haulotte HA12 CJ+ and Manitou 120 AETJ-C — 1.2 m) to about 2.5 m.

Will the lift damage a historic floor?

A machine weighs from about one and a half tonnes (small scissor lifts) to several tonnes (self-propelled mast lifts and articulating boom lifts), and the load is concentrated under the wheels. On a stone or wooden floor, or over crypts, plates or decking are laid, non-marking tyres are used and the route is checked. For historic buildings it is worth agreeing the load capacity of the slabs and floor with the building manager and, if in doubt, with a structural engineer.

Who can operate a lift in a church?

As anywhere else, a person holding a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT) for mobile elevating work platforms. Conservators and painting crews without a licence can rent a machine with an operator.

Knowledge base

Lift for a church and tall historic interiors

Painting vaults, conserving polychrome wall paintings, lighting and sound systems in a church, assembly hall or auditorium: how to fit the machine through doors and between pews, how not to damage a historic floor and why only electric drive.

Updated: 9 October 2026 · Published: 25 September 2026 · Author: RK Rental team

Work in a church, assembly hall or historic room is done only from electric lifts (cherry pickers, or aerial work platforms, MEWP): no exhaust fumes and a quiet drive. Under the vault of the nave an electric scissor lift is usually enough, over the pews, the altar and the choir you reach with an electric articulating boom lift, and in narrow passages a narrow vertical mast lift works well. Three dimensions decide the choice of machine: the clear width of the doors, the width of the passages and the load capacity of the floor.

Which machine for which job?

Electric scissor lift — painting and conserving the vault above the nave, replacing lighting, cleaning windows from the inside. The large platform holds two people with material, but the machine has to stand directly under the place of work, which usually means once the pews have been moved out or in a clear aisle between them.
Electric articulating boom lift — when the platform has to be extended over the pews, the altar, the choir balustrade or the organ without dismantling them. It has a greater reach, but it is heavier and wider.
Self-propelled vertical mast lift — narrow (under 1 m) and manoeuvrable, with a small horizontal outreach, for spot jobs: light fittings, sound system, cameras, sensors. A lower height than the other types.

How do you check whether the machine will go inside?

Before choosing, you measure the clear width and height of the doors (including the porch and side doors), the width of the side aisle and of the passages between the pews, the threshold, steps and any ramps. These dimensions are compared with the dimensions of the machine in the transport position from the model datasheet. If the entrance is too narrow, you choose a smaller machine or another entrance: machines are not carried up steps.

How do you protect a historic floor?

Stone, ceramic and wooden floors and slabs over crypts will not always carry the concentrated load of the wheels. A machine weighs from about one and a half tonnes for small scissor lifts to several tonnes for articulating boom lifts; the details and how to calculate the ground pressure are in the article how much a lift weighs and the floor loading. In practice:

the route and the working positions are covered with load-spreading plates or decking,
non-marking tyres are used,
tombstones, crypt ventilation grilles and places of unknown construction are avoided,
the load capacity of the floor and slabs is agreed with the building manager and, if in doubt, with a structural engineer.

How are the works organised in a historic building?

Work on a monument entered in the register in principle requires the permission of the Voivodeship Monuments Conservator; the investor or the building manager applies for it. The date on which the machine is brought in is agreed with the parish or the manager so that it does not clash with services and events. The area under the platform is fenced off, and fittings (chandeliers, statues, banners) are protected or moved aside before the work. Operating the lift requires a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT); conservation crews without a licence rent the machine with an operator.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use for work in a church?: Inside a church only electric machines are used: no exhaust fumes and a quiet drive. Under the vault of the nave, where the machine can stand under the place of work, an electric scissor lift is usually enough. When you need to reach over the pews, the altar or the choir balustrade, an electric articulating boom lift is used, and in narrow passages a self-propelled vertical mast lift less than 1 m wide.
Will the lift fit through the church doors?: It depends on the machine and the doors, which is why the clear width and height of the doors and of the passages between the pews are measured before choosing. The machine datasheets give the width and height in the transport position. Narrow scissor lifts and mast lifts are less than 1 m wide, while electric articulating boom lifts are from about 1.2 m wide (Genie Z-30/20N RJ — 1.19 m, Haulotte HA12 CJ+ and Manitou 120 AETJ-C — 1.2 m) to about 2.5 m.
Will the lift damage a historic floor?: A machine weighs from about one and a half tonnes (small scissor lifts) to several tonnes (self-propelled mast lifts and articulating boom lifts), and the load is concentrated under the wheels. On a stone or wooden floor, or over crypts, plates or decking are laid, non-marking tyres are used and the route is checked. For historic buildings it is worth agreeing the load capacity of the slabs and floor with the building manager and, if in doubt, with a structural engineer.
Does work in a historic church need the conservator’s consent?: Work on a monument entered in the register (conservation, painting, changes to installations) in principle requires the permission of the Voivodeship Monuments Conservator. The investor or the building manager applies for it. Bringing in the lift itself is a matter of organising the work, but it is worth agreeing it with the parish or the manager.
Who can operate a lift in a church?: As anywhere else, a person holding a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT) for mobile elevating work platforms. Conservators and painting crews without a licence can rent a machine with an operator.