An International Safety Committee has been created by IPAF, to globalise standards development and assist in effective implementation and promoting awareness about industry safe practice. IPAF is now inviting representatives to join the new committee.

Member firms are being encouraged to embrace the options for in-work training to support and certify MEWP technicians via the Roadmap that was developed by IPAF, as the first wave of candidates complete their level 2 and level 3 NVQs.

IPAF has made its worldwide accident reporting portal available in multiple languages and added a new dashboard to give members access to the latest available data to assist in setting their company’s safety strategy.

The launch of a new mobile app for operators of MEWPs and MCWPs aims to bring training certification into the digital era and reduce the environmental impact involved in issuing the IPAF PAL Card and certificate to newly qualified operators worldwide.

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.

More than 900 industry professionals from no fewer than 66 different countries around the world joined the first-ever digital edition of the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs), with prize-winners announced during the IPAF Summit, originally planned for London in April 2020, but postponed and then moved online owing to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Sustainability, digitisation and adopting exciting new technologies are all key to building back better from the coronavirus pandemic, according to presenters at this year’s IPAF Summit, hosted for the first time as a virtual event owing to the global health crisis.

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.

Members of the powered access industry are invited to join a free online seminar to explore issues around the challenges and opportunities of environmental sustainability, including information about how stakeholders can lead positive changes in their sector.

The latest issue of Powered Access magazine has been published and is available to read online now.

IPAF will work with members to tackle industry concerns about the planned end to tax relief on red diesel for construction plant machinery in the UK by 2022.

The latest IPAF Global Safety Report analyses the main causes of serious injuries and fatalities occurring when using powered access machines in the period 2016-2020, and highlights the need to gather more near-miss data from across the industry worldwide.