What is BS EN 12312-8 - Maintenance or service stairs and platforms about?
BS EN 12312-8 is a European Standard that specifies the technical requirements to minimize the hazards listed in Clause 4. These can arise during the commissioning, the operation, and the maintenance of maintenance or service stairs and platforms when used as intended. It also takes into account some requirements recognized as essential by authorities, aircraft and ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturers as well as airlines and handling agencies.
These machines are designed to be used as aircraft ground support equipment with the intended use to serve aircraft in outdoor conditions on the apron. They can also be used indoors at hangars. The use of such equipment for operations not in conjunction with aircraft is not defined as intended use therein. Due to the good operational conditions on the apron, deviations from some clauses of EN 280 were deemed acceptable.
BS EN 12312-8 applies to:
- Self-propelled fixed or adjustable maintenance or service stairs and elevating platforms
- Towable maintenance or service stairs and platforms equipped with powered means, e.g., for height adjustment, stabilizers designed for aircraft maintenance or service purposes including access to the aircraft.
Note 1: Powered will be also understood as manual effort stored in springs or hydraulic accumulators, etc., the dangerous action of which can be produced or can continue after the manual effort has ceased or directly applied manual effort for lifting or lowering loads.
Note 2: Those clauses of this standard that can apply can also be used as a guideline for the design of towable maintenance or service stairs and platforms without powered means.
Who is BS EN 12312-8 - Maintenance or service stairs and platforms for?
BS EN 12312-8 on maintenance or service stairs and platforms is useful for:
- Ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturers
- Airlines industry
- Maintenance crew for service stairs and platforms
- Airports
- Quality control professionals
Why should you use BS EN 12312-8 - Maintenance or service stairs and platforms?
A maintenance platform is a mobile elevating work platform that is designed for the transport of persons and tools to reach and /or access to elevated parts of the aircraft for carrying out maintenance work on aircraft at the airport. The maintenance chair is a fixed or adjustable stair designed for entering and leaving the aircraft for maintenance purposes.
BS EN 12312-8 provides you with health and safety requirements as well as some functional and performance requirements for maintenance or service stairs and platforms including a built-in source of power intended for maintenance purposes on all aircraft types commonly in service in civil air transport. When used at the design stage, BS EN 12312-8 lets you mitigate potential risks at the beginning of the process. As a quality control personnel of maintenance or service stairs and platforms, you can refer to the guidelines in BS EN 12312-8 to comply with safety regulations.
BS EN 12312-8 provides you with the best practice guidelines on the requirements of maintenance stairs and platforms.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 12312-8:2018 supersedes BS EN 12312-8:2005+A1:2009. BS EN 12312-8:2018 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN 12312-8:2005+A1:2009 These include:
- Amendment A1:2009 was incorporated
- Change of title to include “service stairs”
- The scope was updated and contains now a classification
- Clause 2, Normative references were updated
- The terms and definitions were updated, with 3.1 maintenance stair being deleted
- List of hazards was moved to normative Annex A
