IPAF Summit 2025: Beyond Compliance: Safety as a Culture, Not a Checklist
The IPAF Summit 2025, in partnership with Access International, focused on going beyond regulations to emphasise the intrinsic benefits of proactive safety leadership, continuous training and a commitment to best practices that protect workers and enhance productivity. Through expert talks, real-world case studies, and interactive discussions, attendees gained practical strategies to create a culture where safety isn’t just a requirement – it’s a core value.
Hosted by multi-award-winning comedian Barry Murphy at the Dublin Convention Centre, the Summit programme opened with a welcome from Peter Douglas, CEO and Managing Director of IPAF, who highlighted a record-breaking 515 registrations to the event from 28 countries around the world. Peter spoke of the incredible achievements of IPAF members, including the 20th anniversary of the first training centre outside Europe – Alo Group, Chile.
To conclude, Peter thanked Frank Huish for bringing IPAF training together in 1993.
IPAF Summit – Then and Now
John Ball, Chairman (Access Link) and Former IPAF President
John Ball, Chairman of Access Link and Former IPAF President, marked a special return to Dublin, the city that hosted the IPAF Summit for the first time back in 2009. As the city started its St. Patrick’s celebrations, John welcomed attendees in Irish and reflected on how far the industry has come, emphasising the many positive differences and improvements between the industry in 2009 and today. He highlighted the fantastic site visit to KDM Hire, a leading name in the equipment rental industry, that took place the day before and finished by sharing a video about Ireland’s innovation strengths, and economy.
Driving Excellence and Safety
Sergio Kariya, President (Mills Rental)
Next to take to the stage was Sergio Kariya of Mills Rental, who shared the company’s inspiring journey, evolving from a scaffolding rental company to a fully integrated rental solutions leader, having been a driving force in the Brazilian access industry for 73 years.
Introducing the first MEWPs to the Brazilian market in 1997, Mills is a pioneer in MEWP rental and occupies 50% of the market share. Sergio shared how the company has continuously prioritised safety, accounting for 80% of PAL Cards issued in Brazil and operating the largest IPAF training network in Latin America.
Beyond compliance, Mills embeds safety into its culture while also championing sustainability and social responsibility, becoming the first company in its sector to achieve B Corp Certification in 2024. He shared some alarming statistics about how almost 400 million people suffered a work-related injury last year, and in Brazil, 40% of workplace accidents are related to working at height. Mills wants to be a protagonist, a transformative force in the industry.
Recognised as a Great Place to Work, with strong commitments to ESG and workforce diversity, Mills continues to lead the way in safety, innovation, and industry transformation.
Sustainability from a China Perspective and Innovation
Susan Huang, Vice President (Dingli)
Susan is a true leader in shaping a sustainable future for the access industry – highlighting the company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, efficiency, and safety, she shared how for the last 20 years Dingli has been leading green transformation, integrating eco-friendly innovations into its products and operations. Their green factory features natural lights, electrification, modularisation, containerisation, and innovation. Each electric MEWP reduces the equivalent of 24 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, whilst their range of boom lifts are all suitable for container transport, also reducing carbon emissions.
Susan also shared about their green park, with vegetation in all offices, energy-saving lights, rainwater harvesting systems, and green roof garden. In the factory, she praised their intelligent blanking line, robot welding line, and powder recycling system.
Dingli is also empowering women in the industry, with 25% female representation on its production line. As advocates for a greener, more efficient future, Dingli continues to push boundaries in sustainability, green supply chains, and industry-wide collaboration.
IPAF Update
Romina Vanzi, Head of Regional Development (IPAF)
Romina celebrated a record-breaking year in safety, growth and training by sharing IPAF’s latest campaign statistics and learnings. This included how the Crushing Can Kill campaign hit 13k+ views and the importance that accident reporting plays in driving safety improvements.
She invited everyone to report accidents – not just fatalities but near misses too – so IPAF can use this data to make a difference.
For 2025, she said that IPAF aims to expand revenue beyond the UK, enhance accident reporting, and strengthen industry collaboration through its 500+ volunteers. She then shared that the 2024 Annual Report was now available to read, containing all the statistics and news updates.
Accelerating Change
Paul Rankin, Managing Director (Nationwide Platforms) and Chief Operating Officer for the Powered Access Division (Loxam)
In Paul’s presentation, he controversially challenged the industry to act faster on safety innovation, stating that change can happen quickly when 100% committed, but in the powered access industry, progress is often too slow. Actions to improve safety in the use of aerial platforms should take two or three years and not 10, he said.
Paul said the pandemic proved that the industry could adapt to new work practices very quickly, and that OEMs, IPAF and rental companies could all do more, and more quickly, to implement new safety technologies.
“When it comes to safety – not features and benefits, but safety innovation – if there’s things that we can do, let’s get together and let’s embrace it and let’s make sure it’s not a 10-year window to get something adopted”, he said, “Let’s make sure it’s a two-, three-year window to get something adopted.”
He said that one fatality is one too many, and that it’s wrong to develop something after someone dies – we all have to speed things up faster than what we doing. Answering the question of what the industry can do better, he said that the powered access industry must collaborate more with OEMs to standardise controls and safety features, learn from other industries to enhance training and competency, and share safety innovations to drive progress – because safety should never be a competitive advantage.
In the case of anti-entrapment on self-propelled booms, Paul said it had taken 10 years for devices to become widely accepted. He argued that anti-entrapment for scissor lifts should now be adopted quickly.
“This is a kind of cry for action here to say adoption, in my opinion, takes too long in this industry”, said Paul, “It’s the same issues that we have over and over again [falls from the basket, entrapment]. Let’s work together and much faster and let’s get things mandated and into this market quicker.”
Paul said the whole supply chain could have an impact but added that OEMs should play a leading role. He accepted that his own business, Nationwide Platforms – Loxam’s operation in the UK – needed to learn from the past in how it marketed its safety devices.
He concluded: “What would give you comfort that when your people are operating a MEWP, they were operating it safely? Let’s get the OEMs together and let’s say this is what this audience needs, let’s get it adopted and let’s get it into the market. And if we set that out, I think we’ll be in a far better place. Let’s make a seatbelt a common thing in a MEWP in three years’ time.”
Panel Session: Driving Excellence – How can the powered access industry support contractors?
Panel Host – Damien O’Connor, Ireland Manager (IPAF)
Ivan Conway, EHS Director (Winthrop)
Alana Paterson, Head of HSE (Taylor Woodrow)
Gary Hutchinson, RB Business Unit Health & Safety Manager (SISK)
Thomas Lynch, Senior EHS Lead (Dornans – A Turner Company, part of ACS Group)
Damien O’Connor, Ireland Country Manager for IPAF hosted a great panel discussion about how the industry can support contractors in driving excellence. The panel addressed key challenges in the powered access industry, focusing on how rental companies and manufacturers can support contractors in their efforts to make the industry safer, ways to enhance MEWP safety, how to leverage technology, and how best to achieve sustainability goals.
- Supporting Contractors: Ivan Conway shared his experience at Winthrop, highlighting the need for industry collaboration to understand the needs of MEWP operators. He emphasised challenges in implementing advanced safety measures like secondary guarding and harness use, particularly outside of Ireland, due to equipment availability. Effective communication between manufacturers and contractors is crucial to overcoming these challenges.
- Education and Training: Alana Paterson emphasised the need for more consistent education about MEWP safety beyond basic training. She advocated for expanding MEWPs for Managers training in construction to bridge knowledge gaps and prevent accidents. Gary Hutchinson echoed this, sharing that real-life stories and personal experiences have the most significant impact in training.
- Technological Advancements: The panel highlighted the benefits of telematics and real-time data for assessing machine use and meeting sustainability goals. However, Thomas Lynch noted that many end users are unaware of available technology, and there is a need for the industry to better communicate the value of these tools.
- Sustainability and Retention: Ivan stressed the importance of using data to meet sustainability goals and the need to retain young workers in the industry by providing proper training and education. Alana noted the challenge of getting employees to embrace new technology while keeping safety processes straightforward.
Key Challenges Identified:
- Ensuring the right MEWP for the job through better communication between supervisors, chargehands, and operators.
- Addressing access difficulties due to overhead services and limited equipment options.
- Ensuring rental companies ask the right questions to supply the correct MEWP for the task.
- Simplifying and standardizing MEWP controls and emergency lowering systems for easier use.
Messages for the Industry:
- OEMs should spend time on job sites to understand real-world challenges.
- The need for IPAF spotter training to standardise safety practices.
- Rental companies should consider adjusting rental rates for MEWPs with advanced safety features to balance costs and benefits.
The discussion concluded with a call for greater collaboration across the industry to understand end-user needs, improve education, and prioritise safety through better communication and technology. 
Geopolitics Impacting Corporate Businesses
Stefano Scapin, Chief Business Development Officer (COBO Group)
During Stefano’s presentation, he explored in detail how geopolitical shifts impact corporate strategy, from China’s rising rental market to anti-dumping duties in the EU and Saudi Arabia’s booming construction sector. He highlighted the need for businesses to stay agile, leverage technology as a competitive advantage, and stay locally engaged to navigate uncertainty. He said with rapid change in global markets, understanding geopolitical trends is key to long-term success.
Stefano shared with the audience about the "Global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index", record-high surge after the 2024 US election in November, which is likely to further increase due to the threat of a substantial tariff increase on the US main trading "partners" and potential impact on inflations, global supply chains and geopolitical tensions.
He said: “Today, geopolitical tensions and trade barriers are escalating, anti-dumping and import duties have been implemented (first US vs China, then EU vs China, now US vs Mexico and Canada or US vs everyone? Geopolitics is highly impacting corporate businesses.
“Many of the AWP manufacturers in this room have invested in new facilities in Mexico, in a phase where US access from Mexico was not a question mark like now.
“In January 2025, the European Commission updated its agreement with Mexico to further boost bilateral trade between the two (EU and Mexico). Under the existing EU-Mexico Global Agreement, there are generally no tariffs on machinery exported from Mexico to the EU.
“On the other hand, several OEMs are accelerating their investments into Europe, see the recent news of ZOOMLION establishing a new manufacturing facility for aerial work platforms in Hungary. In the same country, two major Chinese manufacturers in their respective industries are also about to start local production and supply the EU region: BYD for EVs and CATL for batteries. Hungary is one of the few countries in Europe against tariffs.”
Stefano said that given the increasing geopolitical tensions, if we want to be present in the major economies we need to invest directly into these and not access through a lower cost “backdoor”.
IPAF Rental+ - MCWP & Hoist Industry
Kirsty Archbold Laming, Director (Southern Hoist Services)
John Joe Magee, Engineering Manager (Rockcastle)
In their presentation, Kirsty and John Joe shared their experiences of being the first MCWP and hoist companies to achieve IPAF Rental+. They shared the benefits of the scheme from their perspectives, from audits to improvements to protection and integrity.
Kirsty said: “This is more than a checklist – it’s a culture! IPAF Rental+ enhances credibility, sets industry benchmarks, and ensures continuous improvement in training and safety.”
They spoke about the Construction Hoist Interest Group (CHIG), established in 1996, and the various guidance documents and courses now available to educate the industry, enable the maximum potential for growth and provide a safer environment for all.
2025 IPAF Safety Campaign Launch
Brian Parker, Head of Safety & Technical (IPAF)
Alana Paterson, Head of HSE (Taylor Woodrow) and Chair of the IPAF International Safety Committee (ISC)
To conclude the event’s presentations, Brian and Alana launched IPAF’s 2025 global safety campaign, Stop Overturns – Safety Starts On The Ground!
Using data from the global Accident Reporting Portal, IPAF’s annual safety campaign highlights an important message for those in the powered access industry. This year’s campaign aims to raise awareness that mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) overturn situations do cause serious and fatal incidents, they can often lead to ejection from the platform of the operator and occupants, and lead to complex rescue scenarios for those trapped at height during a partial overturn.
The campaign emphasises when overturns occur, the hazards and risks – from injuries and fatalities to disruption of worksite and psychological impact – along with ways to manage and minimise the risks.
The latest statistics informing this year’s campaign revealed that:
- In the last decade, 108 fatalities, 64 major injuries, and 25 minor injuries, were reported and attributed to overturns incidents involving MEWPs. 64% of overturns were reported from North America, 18% from Europe, and 22% from Asia.
- Of these, 108 recorded fatalities 52 were recorded in 2021-2023, and 33% of overturns happened on a 3A mobile scissor, followed by 1B static boom (28%), 3B mobile boom (23%) and 1B static boom (12%).
- Fatal overturns increased by 50% from January 2021 to December 2023.
Recognising the global reach of the campaign, IPAF has developed new industry guidance: The Assessment of Ground Conditions and Supporting Structures for The Safe Use of MEWPs. It is split into two parts: guidance for MEWP users, with sections on dewatering, suspended floors, and temporary works, and guidance for MEWP operators, focusing on the MEWP travelling on uneven ground, elevated, stowed position, slopes and positioning.
Reflecting on the Global Safety Campaign release, Brian commented: "MEWP overturns continue to be a major cause of serious injuries and fatalities in our industry. With the launch of IPAF’s 2025 Global Safety Campaign – Stop Overturns: Safety Starts on the Ground! – we are reinforcing a crucial message: ground conditions matter. By understanding the risks and implementing proper safety measures, we can prevent overturns, protect lives, and create safer work environments worldwide. Let’s work together to make a measurable impact and aim for a measurable decrease in MEWP overturns globally."
As the campaign launches, IPAF urges industry participation, implementation of recommended safety measures, and the reporting of incidents to facilitate ongoing safety improvements. Together, we can prevent and reduce overturns incidents and safeguard the well-being of operators and platform occupants in MEWPs. For more information about Stop Overturns – Safety Starts on the Ground! and other IPAF safety campaigns, visit www.ipaf.org/safe
The event ended with closing remarks from IPAF President Karel Huijser who thanked all the speakers, sponsors, and attendees for a wonderful, insightful event. He then shared a personal heartwarming story about his daughter, which reinforced his message about the power of storytelling and the IPAF #ShareYourStory campaign.
He wrapped up the day by saying he looks forward to welcoming everyone to next year’s Summit to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.
