This notice is to formally advise members that the next Annual General Meeting of the International Powered Access Federation will take place at 16:30 (UK) on March 17 2021 via virtual attendance.

Information gathered in a worldwide project to report accidents and near-misses has informed a major update to IPAF’s comprehensive training course on how to load and unload MEWPs and other plant equipment safely from trucks or trailers.

New country representatives for Spain and Switzerland have been appointed by IPAF: Javier Cerezo will be the federation’s new rep in Spain, while Christine Lell steps up from acting in an interim capacity to take on the role full time for Switzerland.

The first wave of apprentices on a new route to certifying specialist MEWP technicians have been celebrated by representatives of IPAF as they embarked on their studies at North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College.

Newly released IPAF Toolbox Talks, designed to share specific safety messages on work sites, are now available. They are two short presentations with supporting Andy Access posters covering the use and inspection of PFPE when using MEWPs.

IPAF experienced a strong end to 2020, boosting revenue by diversifying income streams and continuing careful cost control to help restore cash reserves and leave the federation in a relatively strong position after trading was significantly impacted during the early months of the Coronavirus pandemic, according to its latest Annual Report.

A new course aimed at demonstrating how to perform a site assessment and select the correct mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) to carry out the job has been launched by IPAF, which can be completed at a Training Centre or remotely via eLearning.

IPAF’s Competent Assessed Person (CAP) programme has been developed and adapted to meet demand from operatives in the MCWP and construction hoist sector.

IPAF’s new digital operator app called ePAL for users of MEWP and MCWP equipment will be a game-changer for worksite safety and efficiency, as well as sustainability.

The next in a series of free online workshops and webinars hosted IPAF will look at the importance of selecting the correct MEWP for the job to enable work to be carried out safely and effectively. The webinar will be broadcast on 24 March at 12pm GMT.

This year’s IPAF Summit, hosted for the first time ever as a global virtual event on 18 March 2021, from 3pm GMT, will focus on sustainability, digitisation and the challenges and opportunities facing powered access as the world emerges from the pandemic.

Tributes have been paid to two pioneers of the powered access rental industry, after Dan Kaplan and Denis Ashworth died within the past two weeks. Both were previous recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards bestowed by IPAF, as part of previous years’ International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) ceremonies.

Award-winning instruction and assessment in the safe and effective use of powered access equipment will soon be available to the widest possible range of operators and managers, as the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) makes courses available in multiple languages across its global training centre network.

Key spokespeople for the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) are working closely with a new all-party working group of Westminster MPs led by Alison Thewliss, whose aim is to cut the alarming number of workplace fatalities in the UK that are caused by falls from height.

IPAF’s Technical & Safety department has issued global guidance on the remounting of second-hand MEWP equipment on a different chassis. The guidance emphasises the difficulty and high level of engineering expertise required to mount MEWPs on a chassis other than those for which they were originally designed, cautioning that “failure to mount or re-mount a MEWP correctly can and has led to serious accidents worldwide”.

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has been shortlisted as a finalist in three categories of the European Association Awards 2018, being nominated in the Best Provision of Industry Information and Intelligence, Best Association Conference (under 225 delegates) and Best Association Partnership or Collaboration categories.