Mike Ashton is to take up post as IPAF’s new International Safety & Technical Advisor, bringing to the role expertise from his more than 25 years in industry technical, training and business management positions in the UK, the Middle East and Australia.

Workers and managers using MEWPs to install and remove seasonal decorations and lights are being urged to download a comprehensive new technical guidance booklet that can help to avoid safety issues and to mitigate the key risks involved.

An agreement between IPAF and a local chapter of the National Safety Council of India will see the two organisations work together in the state of Kerala to spread awareness about key risks and mitigations when working at height.

IPAF has issued a further update in regard to industry concerns around the use of the platform emergency stop function in MEWPs following another meeting of its training, safety and technical experts, representatives of its Training Committee, International Safety Committee and Manufacturers’ Technical Committee on 13 December.

Workers and managers using MEWPs to install and remove seasonal decorations and lights are being urged to use a comprehensive technical guidance booklet that can help to avoid safety issues and to mitigate the key risks involved.

IPAF will officially launch its 2019 global safety campaign at the giant bauma construction equipment showcase near Munich, Germany, 8-14 April 2019. IPAF’s stand is confirmed as 711 in C4 hall of the exhibition site, and will also feature a sophisticated MEWP simulator, which proved very popular at IPAF’s events in 2018.

A safety awareness leaflet has been issued to warn users of MEWPs about the catapult effect, which can cause occupants to be ejected from the platform, leading to serious injury and death, especially if occupants are not wearing the correct PFPE.

IPAF is supporting from The No Falls Foundation, the first and only UK charity dedicated exclusively to the work at height sector, urging workers to ‘Be Safe, Don’t Fall, Stay Alive!’, as lockdown eases and UK construction activity begins to increase.

Information gathered in a worldwide project to report accidents and near-misses has informed a major update to IPAF’s comprehensive training course on how to load and unload MEWPs and other plant equipment safely from trucks or trailers.

Putting up and removing seasonal decorations can quickly turn into a festive hangover if those tasked with the work do not know how to select the correct type of MEWP, overlook the need to use professionally trained operators and supervisors, or if they try to save time or money by not following safe working practices, IPAF has warned.

Revised safety guidance has been published outlining how to reduce risks of trapping and crushing incidents when using MEWPs. It is available to download free of charge.

Across 2017, IPAF’s Back to Basics safety campaign focusing on identifying and mitigating typical risk scenarios when operating Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) equipment worldwide has actively inspired and informed safety messages and key industry events from Las Vegas and Amsterdam to Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.

Information gathered in a worldwide project to report accidents and near-misses has informed a major update to IPAF’s comprehensive training course on how to load and unload MEWPs and other plant equipment safely from trucks or trailers.

IPAF has issued the following statement concerning the use of the platform emergency stop function in MEWPs following safety alert JCPT2223RTB issued by Multiplex on 21 November 2022, and the response from the manufacturer of the MEWP referenced.

The latest IPAF Global Safety Report analyses the main causes of serious injuries and fatalities occurring when using powered access machines in the period 2016-2020, and highlights the need to gather more near-miss data from across the industry worldwide.

The IPAF Benelux Elevation event was hosted by IPAF on 6 & 7 September in Rotterdam, with more than 70 delegates and speakers participating.

Adopting digital technology, utilising big data and embracing Lean management techniques to deliver streamlined depots were among the themes of this year’s IPAF Summit, held at the Radisson Blu Deira Creek Hotel, Dubai, on 6 March 2019.

Attendees at the IPAF Summit 2023, held in Berlin, Germany, on 20 April, enjoyed presentations on the theme “The Future of Powered Access: Dynamic, Digital, Diverse”.

A safety trail demonstrating positive behaviours to help prevent falls from the platform will be hosted in support of IPAF’s Don’t Fall For It! industry safety campaign at Vertikal Days 2022, where IPAF will also launch its new Women in Powered Access initiative.

MEWPs and technological advancements in the powered access industry can help to enhance safety and efficiency and aid people in their work, rather than replace people altogether, according to speakers at the Europlatform 2019 conference in Nice, France.

Elevation 2019 saw almost 150 attendees converge on the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Coventry, as the event launched by IPAF last year made a successful return.

Around 100 attendees enjoyed the conference line-up, networking and gala dinner at the third IPAF Elevation event, where the unifying themes were sustainability, smart supply chains, and engaging with contractors to work safely and effectively at height.

The first speakers have been confirmed for IPAF Summit, to be held in London, UK, on 23 April, as the event and the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) gala dinner are set to sell out quickly. The IAPAs shortlist has also now been confirmed.

Understanding and reducing carbon footprint, social inclusion across the workforce, reducing and reusing resources as part of the circular economy are key to effecting sustainable change, according to speakers at IPAF’s Europlatform 2022 conference.

The Swiss Elevation event was hosted by IPAF on 22 September in Bellinzona in the Swiss canton of Ticino, with around 70 instructors and training centre staff participating.

Booking is now open for IPAF’s popular Elevation open meeting, conference and gala dinner, which is being reprised in 2019, at the same venue as last year, the DoubleTree by Hilton, Coventry, on 27 November, as the event line-up takes shape.