Working at Height award winners

North America’s access and rental industry celebrated its finest on the evening of 20 November, with six winners receiving top honours at the inaugural Working at Height Conference & Awards.

  • The ePAL mobile app for operators of powered access that brings training certification into the digital era and reduces the environmental impact of IPAF PAL Cards is now available in six additional languages, following its launch in English earlier this year.

  • 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.

  • Leading participants in the UK powered access rental industry, including machine manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, rental and supply chain companies, are advised to utilise two new valuable reports that have been published by IPAF.

  • Judges for the prestigious International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) have been named, as the entry deadline of 1 December looms. The IAPAs will be hosted alongside next year’s Summit of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, London, on 10 March 2022.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • All speakers are confirmed for IPAF Elevation, the UK conference, networking lunch and gala dinner, to be hosted at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Northants, on 18 November.

  • A Global Safety Report created using the latest analysis of data gathered in IPAF’s incident reporting project and an overview of MEWPs for Managers training will be among the key pieces of technical guidance and safety information available on the IPAF stand at the A+A Trade Fair & Congress 26-29 October in Düsseldorf, Germany.

  • A VR sim on which to demonstrate operator training, and several safety stations using a selection of MEWPs to illustrate the key risks involved in the most common causes of MEWP accidents will be among the main draws on the IPAF stand at SMOPYC 2021.

  • IPAF has seen a surge of interest in its new Safety Professional member category, aimed at those in health & safety or related supervisory roles within powered access or wider industry, with the first member in the category already signed up.

  • New ways to renew and extend MEWP operator training have been made available by IPAF, giving operators renewing their PAL Card and training certification or taking their advanced operator PAL+ training further options to use VR sims and eLearning.

  • IPAF’s new International Safety Committee (ISC) has been convened for the first time, to assist in globalising standards development and implementation, and promoting awareness about industry safe practice.

  • The ePAL mobile app for operators of powered access that brings training certification into the digital era and reduces the environmental impact of IPAF PAL Cards is now available in 26 additional territories, following its successful launch in the UK & Ireland.

  • A safety trail demonstrating the most common types of MEWP accidents, as identified by the latest analysis of data gathered in IPAF’s incident reporting project, will be the theme of the IPAF stand at Vertikal Days 2021 in Peterborough, UK, 22-23 September.

  • A certification equivalency agreement has been reached between the SSVV or Foundation for Safety Cooperation and IPAF that means all valid IPAF PAL Cards will now be recognised at petrochemicals sites and installations in the Netherlands.