IPAF Safety Executive named RoSPA ‘Guardian Angel’

Chris Wraith, IPAF Technical & Safety Executive, is to be honoured by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in the UK for creating the Andy Access character used to spread safety messages to operators of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs).

He has been named as a RoSPA 2017 Guardian Angel “for making a demonstrable difference in the world of health and safety and accident prevention, through personal initiative, diligence, enthusiasm and commitment”, the judges said.  

Andy Access posters communicate valuable learning outcomes from the IPAF accident reporting project, and reinforce key messages covered in IPAF’s training programmes, in ten languages and in numerous countries throughout the world. There’s also a larger-than-life Andy Access character who pops up at major industry events such as bauma China or Conexpo and new safety messages are planned for 2017 and beyond.

Chris says: “While I came up with the idea for Andy Access, he wouldn’t have been such a success without the support of IPAF’s staff around the world, or the enthusiastic buy-in from our members including rental companies, manufacturers and the ever-expanding network of IPAF-accredited training centres.”

Tim Whiteman, CEO of IPAF, adds: “As IPAF’s global presence grows it has been great to see Andy Access’s popularity has also grown. Andy Access posters are appearing in break rooms and work sites everywhere, reminding MEWP operators and managers of key safety tips; Andy’s also gone down well in his public appearances at major events such as Vertikal Days, bauma China and Conexpo 2017 in Las Vegas.

“This prestigious RoSPA award is well-deserved recognition for Chris and the team for coming up with such a creative way to spreading the safety message and getting behind the campaign with enthusiasm to ensure it has been a success.”

Download free Andy Access posters at www.ipaf.org/andyaccess