We rent them at a day rate. They drop it off and pick it up from site. If we got caught putting the ladder on a man lift the fines (and jail time) vastly outweigh the cost of equipment rental. Alberta recently increased their penalties and deputized a shit ton of new OH&S officers.
Besides, if an employer isn't willing to provide me with the equipment to do the job safely and according to the laws that I'm liable to uphold, I'm not too concerned with their financial bottom line.
Your situation could be different and I don't fault you for your actions. For all I know, you could be a small business owner faced with skyrocketing overhead in material, or in a remote location where getting the lift there isn't feasable. You did the work yourself and didn't pressure an apprentice to do it instead. The lifts I showed didn't even reach high enough for your needs either.