Lift for a sports hall and swimming pool

For replacing lighting, installing scoreboards, nets and sound systems, and for work under the roof of a sports hall, you use an electric scissor lift (a type of cherry picker, aerial work platform, MEWP) on non-marking tyres: it drives along a row of fittings with its platform raised and leaves no marks on the parquet. Over the stands and over a swimming pool, where the machine cannot stand under the work point, you need an electric articulating boom lift parked beside it. The key points are protection of the surface, the load capacity of the floor and, at a pool, the horizontal outreach from the pool edge.

Which machine for which job?

• Electric scissor lift — lighting over the court, basketball hoops, scoreboards, nets and dividing curtains, sensors, ventilation. In our fleet most often from about 7.7 to 14.3 m working height and from 227 to 454 kg platform capacity.
• Electric articulating boom lift — over the stands, over the pool basin, over slides and equipment. It stands on a flat poolside and the platform reaches sideways: in our fleet up to about 20 m working height and up to about 13.5 m horizontal outreach.
• Self-propelled vertical mast lift — spot jobs in corridors, changing rooms and back-of-house areas, where passages are narrow.

How do you protect a parquet floor and a sports surface?

Non-marking tyres do not leave black marks, but they do not solve the problem of pressure. A machine weighs from about 1.4 t (small scissor lifts) to several tonnes (articulating boom lifts), and the weight is concentrated under the wheels; more in the article how much does a lift weigh and what is the floor load capacity. In practice, plates or protective mats are laid along the route and at the work points, the machine does not turn on the spot, and the load capacity of the surface and of any slabs (for example above a pool hall or a garage) is agreed with the facility manager.

Work over a swimming pool

A lift does not drive into a pool basin with water, so you reach over the water with an articulating boom from the poolside. You measure the distance from the place where the machine can stand to the work point and check it on the model’s reach chart (how to read the load and reach chart). The poolside is often wet and slippery, and tiles and drain grilles have limited load capacity, so the route is protected with plates. After the work the machine is dried and wiped down, because humid, chlorinated air promotes corrosion.

How is the work organised in the facility?

Work is planned outside classes and competitions, most often in the evening, at the weekend or during the holiday break. The area below the platform is cordoned off, and before delivery the width of doors, gates and corridors is checked against the machine’s dimensions in the transport position. The operator must hold a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT); facility managers without their own operator rent the machine with an operator.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use to replace the lighting in a sports hall?

Most often an electric scissor lift: it has a large platform, drives along a row of fittings with the platform raised, and has non-marking tyres that leave no marks on parquet or a sports surface. In our fleet the electric scissor lifts most often have a working height of about 7.7 to 14.3 m. Above the stands, where the machine cannot stand under a fitting, an electric articulating boom lift is used.

Will a lift damage the parquet or sports surface?

Electric lifts have non-marking tyres, but the weight of the machine, from about 1.4 t for small scissor lifts to several tonnes for articulating boom lifts, is concentrated under the wheels. On parquet and flexible surfaces you lay plates or protective mats along the route and at the work points, avoid sharp turns on the spot, and check the load capacity with the facility manager.

How do you work over a swimming pool with a lift?

The machine cannot drive into the basin, so you reach over the water with an electric articulating boom lift standing on the poolside, choosing the horizontal outreach according to the distance from the edge. Alternatively, the basin is drained and the lift drives onto its floor, but only when the manager confirms the load capacity and access. The poolside can be wet and slippery, and tiles have limited load capacity, so the route is protected with plates.

Do humidity and chlorine harm a lift at a pool?

Humid, chlorinated air promotes corrosion, so after work at a pool the machine is dried and wiped down, and batteries are not charged in the wet area. Electrical handling follows the facility’s rules for damp rooms.

Who may operate a lift in a sports hall?

A person with a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT) for mobile elevating work platforms. Facility managers and crews without a licence rent the machine with an operator.