The line-up for IPAF’s inaugural Elevation conference, networking and gala dinner event on 25 September is confirmed, with places filling fast and the special early-bird booking discount only available until 24 August for the event in Coventry, UK.

A recruitment campaign is underway to find two key appointments to roles at the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). IPAF is currently seeking a Membership Coordinator, based at its head office in Cumbria, UK, and a Regional Representative for South Korea, with closing dates for applications in June.

A safety walk demonstrating the key risks involved in conducting temporary work at height using Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) alongside roads or in public places was among the main draws on the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) stand at Vertikal Days 2019 at Donington Park near Derby, UK, 15-16 May.

Around 100 delegates were in attendance for the inaugural IPAF MEWP Safety & Standards Conference on 16 May 2019 alongside the Changsha International Construction Machinery Exhibition, Hunan Province, China. The first IPAF Chinese PDS for training instructors was hosted to coincide with the new standards conference.

The MEWP rental market is still booming, with the worldwide rental fleet nearing 1.5 million units, according to the latest award-winning market analysis from IPAF.

Jean Harrison is entering retirement, with 23 May 2019 being her last day with IPAF, where she has worked across a variety of roles over 27 years’ distinguished service.

Booking is open and the first speakers have been announced for Europlatform 2019, to be held at the Hotel Le Negresco in Nice, France, on 3 October. Europlatform is the essential annual event for senior professionals in the powered access rental industry, and this year Olivier Colleau, President, of Kiloutou, will give the morning keynote address and Angus Kennard, CEO, Kennards Hire the afternoon keynote address.

A save-the-date notice has been issued to all training instructors and managers for a newly formatted annual Professional Development Seminar by IPAF. The 2019 UK PDS will be held at the Holiday Inn Birmingham M6 J7 on 17 September.

Global automotive manufacturer Renault is working to address global site safety concerns and has been raising awareness with a number of events aimed at management and safety employees, with assistance from IPAF representatives.

More than 50 delegates attended the first ever IPAF workshop on training and safety standards to be held in Oman, answering demand in the country to establish robust standards to improve operator safety and technical inspections of MEWP machines.

Leading manufacturers have signed a pledge to ensure that all operators of boom-type MEWPs are provided with a full-body harness and correct lanyard at a special event hosted by IPAF during the BICES event in Beijing, China.

All rental/hire members of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) in the UK have “levelled up” to the IPAF Rental+ minimum standard, which assures people seeking to hire mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) that an IPAF member company will conform to the highest industry standards of safety and professionalism.

Tony Groat, North America Regional Manager for IPAF, has been honored as Person of the Year at the ALH Awards 2019 in San Diego, California, for his work to promote MEWP safety and training and in developing new US and Canadian standards.

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.

New members have been seconded to the IPAF Board, Ben Hirst and Julie Houston Smyth both stepping up, joining Riwal CEO Pedro Torres, who was seconded in June.