News

Adopting advanced technology, embracing change, utilising big data and relying on a skilled, engaged and energised workforce to create a successful, sustainable business model, was the key message at this year’s Europlatform conference in Belfast, UK.

Members of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) command unparalleled influence on global industry regulation and standards, safety messaging and technical and training expertise, as analysis of this year’s Access 50 power list shows that together the organisation’s largest member companies control well in excess of half a million Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) between them.

IPAF has published an important document, the IPAF Three-Year Strategic Plan. We created it to help all of us understand the major objectives for the organisation over the next three years, and to measure and demonstrate our progress towards those goals.

Tim Whiteman, CEO of IPAF, joined a webinar to discuss the capabilities and potential of VR and simulators in assisting training for safe operations while working at height, hosted by Engineering News Record (ENR). ‘Upping the Game: The Evolution of Virtual Reality Technology’ in the Construction Industry’ is now available to view online.

Major construction projects are driving accelerated uptake of MEWP operator training in countries such as Denmark, where international contractors are insisting that all powered access users hold certification from an accredited IPAF training centre.

IPAF has created a film warning people not to cut corners when using MEWPs to carry out temporary work at height, launching it at its Asia Conference & Showcase in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the busiest edition of the event to date with around 350 attendees.

Don Kenny, CEO of Loxam Powered Access Division (formerly Lavendon Group), has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the annual Europlatform conference, which will be hosted by IPAF at the Europa Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 11 October.

IPAF’s Asia Conference & Showcase is the only event in the South East Asia region focusing solely on powered access. The 2018 edition takes place at the KL Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 18-19 July, and reservations are booking quickly. There will be simultaneous translations in Chinese available for delegates.

The global Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) rental market is booming, with the sector once again outstripping wider construction and sustained recovery in places such as Spain and Brazil that suffered during economic downturns, according to the latest award-winning market analysis from Ducker Worldwide, exclusively for IPAF.

IPAF has confirmed that it has updated one of its most widely used global safety stickers for use on MEWPs – launching an important redesign of the decal that is applied to machines to indicate where the auxiliary lowering controls are located.

IPAF is urging people to take part in its online consultation about the use of virtual reality MEWP simulators via a short survey, having recently showcased the technology at two major industry events in France and the UK.

Krafthand Media has published this year's edition of the German-language IPAF-Journal magazine. The circulation of 40,000 copies is distributed through IPAF member companies and training centres to customers, course participants and other interested parties, as well as through the recipients of bd-baumaschinenendienst and GaLaBau magazines to companies in the construction industry. In addition, a digital version is available on the internet as an eMagazine.

A safety trail demonstrating the importance of planning ahead for safety when conducting temporary work at height using MEWPs and a virtual reality MEWP simulator were among the main draws on IPAF’s stand at Vertikal Days 2018.

The latest selection of award-winning Andy Access posters has now been released by IPAF, taking the total number in the series so far to 20. IPAF advises employers to download a poster a month and to make them part of their ongoing safety messaging.

A campaign emphasising the importance of planning ahead for safety when conducting temporary work at height using MEWPs has been launched by IPAF at Intermat 2018 in Paris, France. ‘Safety at height begins before you’ve even left the ground.’

Visitors to the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) stand at Intermat 2018 in Paris, France, 23-28 April, will be able to try their hand at using a MEWP at height without ever leaving the ground thanks to an advanced virtual reality (VR) Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) simulator being showcased as part of the federation’s ongoing worldwide consultation on the technology.

Intermat,is a chance to showcase IPAF’s new safety campaign for 2018-19. This outlines why operators and managers conducting work at height using MEWPs should plan ahead for safety; carry out proper risk assessments, choose the correct equipment for the job, conduct site and machinery inspections, use trained and familiarised operators under proper supervision and implement adequate segregation from other plant machinery and traffic.

Around 300 industry professionals gathered on 8 March 2018 in Miami, USA, to honour the winners of the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs). Jointly organised by Access International and IPAF, the IAPAs celebrate best practice and excellence in the powered access industry.

Those assembled at the Hilton Miami Downtown were also the first to learn that the next edition of the awards ceremony will be held in Dubai, UAE.

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has experienced another year of global growth, seeing membership rise by 6.6% year-on-year, a 7.8% increase in turnover and global training delivery up by around 4%, according to the Annual Report 2017, published today in eight languages including for the first time in Chinese.

Places are filling up fast at for the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) Summit and the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) celebration dinner, to be held at the Hilton Miami Downtown in Florida, USA, on 8 March 2018. The theme for the Summit is “Quantifying Sustainability”.