IPAF successfully launches Elevacao Portugal event
The first edition of ElevacaoPortugal has successfully been hosted by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) at the Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria da Construção Civil e Obras Públicas do Sul (CENFIC), Lisbon, on 15 October.
The event, dedicated exclusively to safe operation of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs), drew around 100 participants, among them MEWP manufacturers, parts suppliers, dealers, rental companies, IPAF Training Centres and independent instructors, as well as health & safety supervisors, technicians and end-user companies of MEWPs and their operators. This meant the well-attended event was a representative cross-section of the powered access industry in Portugal.
The one-day programme included both technical presentations from expert speakers and practical demonstrations of equipment. Among the main themes covered were risk assessment, best practiceof safe operation of MEWPs and rescue planning.
Andrew Delahunt, IPAF’s Director of Technical & Safety, talked about the main causes of accidents involving MEWPs and how to minimise risk, based on the analysis of IPAF’s ongoing worldwide accident reporting project (www.ipaf.org/accident), with an IPAF report due for publication shortly.
Filipa Sanches, IPAF’s Portugal Representative, who organised the event, says: “We are very grateful to IPAF’s member firms and all those who presented on the day, as well as those companies who supplied machines, including a sophisticated virtual reality (VR) MEWP simulator
“The practical displays allowed those present to observe, learn about and experience the equipment at first hand, all under the expert supervision of IPAF instructors, Fernando Serafim from Transhoist, Rui Lopes from Jorge Lozano – Works at Height, and IPAF senior instructor Vitor Ribeiro. At the end of the event participants were also able to network and to share their experiences and feedback from the day.
"It was the first time that such an event took place in Portugal, and it was excellent to have such a high level of engagement. Using MEWPs is one of the safest ways to work at height, but it is crucial to demonstrate how to use MEWPs and to warn of the associated risks and how to minimise them.
“I hope this event is now established in the annual IPAF calendar and hope that we will see more delegates in attendance in 2020, as IPAF continues to strive to help ensure that all those who use MEWPs do so safely and get to go home at the end of the day.”
“IPAF also thanks all the sponsors, contributors and host venue for helping make the event possible: CENFIC, Palfinger, Manitou, Transhoist, Martin Hivet, Almac, Multitel, TVH, Ritchie Bros, Loxam/Hune as well as media partners Safety, Ingenuity & Media, and Commercial Machinery magazines and Co Office 225, and of course all those who attended."
Event presentations, photos and videos from IPAF Elevacao Portugal can be viewed at: www.ipaf.org/elevacaopt
