News

Representatives of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) have attended an important cross-border forum on health & safety hosted at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, France, concerned with sharing best practice and comparing regulatory regimes in Germany and France.

IPAF has agreed an official memorandum of understanding, committing to close co-operation with one of India’s leading occupational health & safety bodies, which was signed at the OSH India safety event in Mumbai at the end of November 2018.

An exclusive site visit to the Manlift MEWP rental depot in Dubai, UAE – rarely opened to the public – has been announced as part of the programme for the IPAF Summit 2019, Meanwhile the nominations deadline for the 2019 International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) has been extended until 14 December 2018.

With the new ANSI standards set for publication on December 10, new guidance for companies or individuals that are seeking to become compliant with North American standards has been published by IPAF, with specific reference to how new CSA/ANSI standards will affect manufacturers, dealers, owners and users of MEWPs.

Robert Munn, Health & Safety Director, of the Expo 2020 world fair construction project has told IPAF’s fourth annual Middle East Convention that “everyone using a MEWP at Expo 2020 Dubai must have a PAL Card from IPAF.”

IPAF’s globally recognised PAL Card operator training has launched in a new language and new territory – with member firm Riwal now delivering the operator course in Russian to training candidates in Atyrau, Kazakhstan.

Booking is now open for the annual IPAF Summit, which in 2019 will be held for the first time in the Middle East, and at the same time nominations for the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) have opened via www.iapa-summit.info

Haulotte, the international MEWP manufacturer, has reached a historic agreement that sees it become one of the first sustaining members of IPAF, which was formally signed at the Europlatform 2018 conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 11 October.

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.