Survey Surprise or "Scissor Lift-On-Sea"

As a surveyor of lifts to be added to our portfolio, I see plenty of things that can shock me, scare me, make me laugh, make me wonder why and sometimes (involving furry little creatures) make me jump.

But when I see an 8000kg scissor lift operating in water that is 15cm deep, full of rubbish, oil etc. even I’m a little bit surprised at why people think it’s OK?

It leaves a multitude of open questions;

• Why does the owner think it’s OK?
• Why does the current incumbent think it’s safe?
• How long has it been like this?
• How is it being serviced professionally?
• How is it being inspected for LOLER?

All that aside, advise the owner to stop using it, get it pumped out, get it cleaned, get the drainage repaired and get it serviced and LOLER inspected ASAP, then report it back to the office, follow up with an email to the owner and on to the next survey!