OSHA classifies a scissor lift as a mobile scaffold. However, it serves the same purpose as aerial lifts like boom lifts – to lift workers and materials up and down. However, a scissor lift can only lift vertically. A boom lift, can extend horizontally and vertically. Its capacity is limited, but it’s more versatile, and models are available that can reach worksites much farther off the ground than a scissor lift can access. Man lifts are similar to boom lifts but can be more limited in what they can do. For instance, boom lifts often have larger platforms and can attach to work trucks.