Host of new Andy Access posters and Toolbox Talks available

Across 2022 a host of new Toolbox Talks and Andy Access safety posters have been issued by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), including briefings on: Safe Mast Climbing Work Platform (MCWP) and construction hoist (CH) loading; MCWP and construction hoist rescue planning; assessing Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) tyre condition; and how to prevent falls from height – part of IPAF’s Don’t Fall for It! global safety campaign. 

IPAF’s popular Toolbox Talks are a series of short safety briefings designed to share specific safety messages on work sites and in breakrooms. They are complemented by accompanying Andy Access safety posters to remind operators and supervisors of the principles of safe operation.  

IPAF has published several new Toolbox Talks across 2022, and those in charge of safety involving MEWP, MCWP or construction hoist operations are invited to download the Toolbox Talks and Andy Access posters free of charge and available in multiple languages, to build them into briefings and safe systems of work.  

The full list of talks issued this year is as follows: Safe On-site Servicing of MEWPs, MCWP Loading, MCWP and Construction Hoist Rescue Plan, Construction Hoist Loading, MEWP Tyre Condition, and Falls From Height: Don’t Fall For It! 

Brian Parker, IPAF’s Head of Safety and Technical, says: “IPAF puts a lot of resource into preparing these Toolbox Talks and we now have a Toolbox Talk Work Group drawn together from across our membership. We create them based on feedback from across the industry, as well as trends we identify through analysis of data gathered through the IPAF accident reporting portal and in our annual Global Safety Report.”  

Peter Douglas, CEO & Managing Director of IPAF, says: “IPAF’s Toolbox Talks are already being well used by site managers and supervisors on a range of sites. They are a simple but effective way for employers to get key safety messages across.  

“IPAF recommends that anyone planning or overseeing work at height using powered access, reviews and downloads the posters and presentations and to use them on a daily or weekly basis to reinforce your safety messages. They are short and to the point and they are quick and easy to deliver. 

“Complacency and overfamiliarity with a task are dangers in the workplace, and even the most experienced operators benefit from being reminded of the safety basics that sometimes get forgotten or overlooked during a busy working day. Better still, why not ask your operators to actually deliver one of the talks to colleagues? This will be one way to ensure the information that they impart remains forefront in their mind.” 

The next wave of Andy Access posters and Toolbox Talks are in development with more due to be released over the course of 2023 and beyond. Please contact your nearest IPAF office or representative if you have specific safety or technical queries about work at height using powered access, or to suggest a future topic for inclusion on an Andy Access poster or in a Toolbox Talk briefing. 

IPAF’s Andy Access posters and Toolbox Talks are available free to download from www.ipaf.org/andyaccess and www.ipaf.org/toolboxtalks; visit www.ipaf.org/contact to find contact details of your nearest IPAF office or representative.