Lift for a food plant, processing plant and cold store

In a food plant, processing plant and cold store you work from an electric lift, because it gives off no exhaust fumes near food, is quiet and runs on wheels that do not mark the floor. For evaporators, refrigeration pipework, ventilation and lighting under the ceiling of a hall or chamber, an electric scissor lift is usually enough. Above production lines, conveyors and racking an electric articulating boom lift is used, whose platform reaches sideways over the obstacle. Units and condensers on the roof or façade are serviced from outside with a diesel articulating boom lift, and a heavy component is lifted by telehandler. Hygiene requirements are agreed with the plant before delivery, and the work is planned for breaks, washing, night shifts or the weekend, so that production does not have to stop.

This guide applies to meat plants, dairies, fruit and vegetable processing plants, industrial bakeries, cold stores and freezer stores, as well as refrigeration and ventilation companies that service installations at their customers’ premises. In such a facility a cherry picker (aerial work platform, MEWP) is chosen not only for height but also for hygiene requirements, the temperature in the chamber and the rhythm of production.

Why do you work from an electric lift in a food plant?

• No exhaust fumes. A diesel engine in a hall with open product means exhaust fumes and an odour that can pass to the food, and fuel in the production area as well. Many plants do not allow diesel machines into production halls and chambers at all.
• Quiet. Line workers can hear machine signals and instructions.
• Non-marking wheels. The tyres do not leave black marks on the floor, which the plant then washes and inspects.

We write more about the differences between drive types in the article electric or diesel lift.

Which lift for which job in a plant and cold store?

• Electric scissor lift: evaporators and air coolers under the ceiling of a chamber, insulated refrigeration pipework, ventilation ducts, luminaires, sensors and high-speed doors. The large platform holds two fitters with tools and parts, and the machine drives along the installation. In our fleet the electric scissor lifts most often have a working height of 7.7–14.3 m and a capacity of 227–565 kg; for taller chambers and warehouses we also have a 22.5 m model.
• Electric articulating boom lift: when a production line, conveyor, vat, oven or rack of goods stands under the place of work. The machine stands in the aisle, and the platform reaches sideways and over the obstacle. In our fleet the electric articulating boom lifts have a working height of up to about 20 m and a horizontal outreach of about 5.6 to 13.5 m. The platform capacity is 200–230 kg, so you carry people and tools in it, not heavy components.
• Outdoors: diesel articulating boom lift. Condensers and units on the roof, roof fans, intakes and exhausts on the façade. A 4×4 machine works in the yard, on the lawn and on uneven ground around the plant (in our fleet 12.5–43 m working height). A diesel machine is not placed near air intakes, because the exhaust would get into the hall’s ventilation. A heavy item, for example a fan, heat exchanger or compressor, is lifted by telehandler (capacity up to 4,000 kg, lift height up to 17.5 m, with capacity falling at long reach), and from the platform it is only fitted.

How do you prepare a lift for work in a production area?

In the enquiry, say that the machine is going to a food plant and pass on the requirements of the quality or maintenance department. Every plant has its own procedures, so the hygiene requirements are agreed with it before delivery. Most often they concern these matters:

• Clean machine. Only a machine with no mud on the wheels and chassis, no construction dust and no grease on the platform enters the production area.
• Washing and disinfection. The wheels, platform and guardrails are washed and disinfected according to the plant’s procedures, with agents specified by the plant. A jet of pressurised water is not directed at the control panel, electrical boxes and battery connectors.
• Covers. The line, conveyor or product under the place of work is covered or taken out of production for the duration of the work, so that nothing from the installation falls on the food.
• Foreign bodies. The plant may require a list of tools and parts brought into the area. Small items (screws, cable ties, rivets) are kept in a closed container on the platform, and after the work the area is cleaned before production returns.
• Hydraulic oil. A lift has a hydraulic system, and a hose or fitting can start to leak. The operator checks the tightness in the daily inspection, and it is worth having absorbent by the machine. In the event of a leak, work is stopped, the platform lowered, the product protected, the plant notified and the service called. If the plant’s procedures set requirements for the type of oil, state them in the enquiry, so that this can be agreed before delivery.

A separate matter is flour or sugar dust in bakeries, mills and sugar factories. Standard lifts are not intended for explosive atmosphere zones (ATEX); such work must be agreed separately.

What should you watch for in a cold store and freezer?

• Batteries in the cold. At low temperature batteries lose capacity faster, so the machine works for a shorter time on one charge. Long jobs in a chamber are divided into blocks with breaks in a warmer area. More about working in the cold in the article lifts in winter.
• Charging outside the chamber. The machine is charged in a warmer, ventilated place indicated by the plant, for example by the forklift charging area, not in the cold room. The socket for overnight charging is agreed before delivery.
• Condensation of moisture. After leaving the freezer for a warmer hall, moisture condenses on the cold machine: on the guardrails, platform and control panel. The machine is wiped dry before it goes back into the freezer, because otherwise the water will freeze on the platform and the controls.
• Slippery floor. Frost and ice by the chamber doors, water after washing, ramps with a difference in level. You drive slowly over such a floor, and the platform is raised only on dry, level ground.

Whether a given model can work in a freezer and for how long depends on the machine. In the enquiry give the temperature in the chamber and the planned working time, and we will choose a machine for those conditions.

Will the lift fit through the chamber door and onto its floor?

Sliding chamber doors, high-speed doors and passages between halls can be narrower and lower than the main gate. Before delivery you measure the width and height of the passage along the whole route, including strip curtains, thresholds and ramps. The narrow 8 m electric scissor lifts are 0.76–0.81 m wide and 1.82–2.16 m high when stowed, so they will pass through a door about 0.9 m wide. The aisles between racking in a cold store are measured in the same way.

The floor of a cold store is usually designed for forklifts and racking, but under the screed lies a layer of thermal insulation, and in freezers there is sometimes also a system protecting the ground against frost heave. The electric scissor lifts weigh from about 1.5 t (narrow 8 m) to over 5 t (14 m), and the 22.5 m model over 10 t. The electric articulating boom lifts weigh from about 3.7 to about 8 t, and the load is concentrated under the wheels. The permitted load on the floor, technical mezzanine or slab above the chambers is confirmed by the building manager or designer. How to convert weight into load is shown in the article how much does a lift weigh and what is the floor load capacity. A lift is not driven onto a sandwich-panel roof: installations on the roof are serviced from the platform, from ground level.

How do you plan the work so that production does not stop?

• Before washing, not after. Work under the ceiling is best done before the scheduled washing of the line: dust and particles that fall from the installation are washed away together with the line.
• Breaks and changeovers. Short tasks (replacing a luminaire, sensor or evaporator fan) fit in the break between batches or when the product range changes.
• Night and weekend. A quiet electric machine works the night shift without disturbing the rest of the plant, and larger jobs on lines are done at the weekend or during a planned shutdown.
• Chamber by chamber. In a cold store the work is done in sections: goods are moved out of one zone, the zone is fenced off, and the other chambers operate normally.
• Machine on site. For work spread over several days the machine stays at the plant and is charged at night, and delivery and collection are set to fit the plant’s work window.

Who operates the lift, and what if the machine stops?

As standard, the machine is operated by the customer’s operator with a UDT qualification certificate, and in the platform of an articulating boom lift a harness with a lanyard is mandatory. An employee without the qualification can be sent on our UDT training course with an exam. Ask about rental with an operator when you request a quote: this is possible when one of our service technicians qualified as an operator is free on that date.

When a machine stops during the work, our mobile service comes and repairs it on site, and where needed we supply a replacement machine from the fleet. We rent out lifts from our base in Brzoza near Bydgoszcz, we have over 250 machines, and we arrange transport across the whole of Poland ourselves. For a quote the following are enough: the working height, the width of passages, the type of floor, the temperature in the chamber and the date of the work window.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use in a food plant or processing plant?

An electric one, because it gives off no exhaust fumes near food, works quietly and has wheels that do not mark the floor. For installations under the ceiling (evaporators, refrigeration pipework, ventilation, lighting) an electric scissor lift is usually enough; in our fleet it most often has a working height of 7.7–14.3 m. Above production lines, conveyors and racking an electric articulating boom lift is used (up to about 20 m), whose platform reaches sideways over the obstacle.

Can an electric lift work in a cold store or freezer?

Yes, but it has to be planned. In the cold, batteries lose capacity faster, so the machine works for a shorter time on one charge, and it is charged outside the chamber, in a warmer, ventilated place. After leaving the freezer, moisture condenses on the machine and must be wiped off before it goes back into the chamber. Whether a given model is suitable for a specific temperature depends on the machine, so when you enquire you give the temperature in the chamber and the planned working time.

What should I do if hydraulic oil leaks from the lift above a production line?

Stop work, lower the platform, protect the product and the place of the leak with absorbent, notify the plant and call the service. To prevent this, the operator checks the tightness of the system in the daily inspection, and the line under the place of work is covered or switched off for the duration of the work. The plant’s requirements for hygiene and hydraulic oil are agreed before the machine is delivered.

Which lift should I use to service condensers and refrigeration units on a roof?

From outside, most often a diesel articulating boom lift with 4×4 drive: it stands in a yard or on a lawn, and the platform reaches over the parapet and the roof edge. In our fleet the diesel articulating boom lifts have a working height of 12.5–43 m. A heavy component is lifted by telehandler (capacity up to 4,000 kg, lift height up to 17.5 m, with capacity falling at long reach), and from the platform it is only fitted. A diesel machine is not placed near the plant’s air intakes, and a lift is not driven onto a sandwich-panel roof.

Do I need a UDT licence to work from a lift in a food plant?

Yes. The operator of a mobile elevating work platform must hold a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT), whether they are an employee of the plant or of a service company. As standard, the machine is operated by the customer’s operator, and employees without the qualification can be sent on our UDT training course with an exam. Ask about rental with an operator when you request a quote: this is possible when one of our service technicians qualified as an operator is free on that date.