Megan Campbell
Apprentice Engineer, Summit Platforms, UK

Catherine McCreedy
Apprentice Engineer, Speedy Powered Access, UK

The IPAF Global Safety Report 2022, covering 2012 - 2021 data, analyses the main causes of serious injuries and fatalities occurring when using powered access machines to conduct temporary work at height, highlighting the need to gather more near-miss data from across the industry worldwide to help avoid the most common types of serious accident in future.

IPAF and the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) held an open meeting on 27 May 2022 to help members and the industry to understand the latest Mast Climbing Work Platform (MCWP) product safety alert issued earlier this month by the UK HSE.

The IPAF Powered Access magazine is the federation’s UK annual journal and one of its most successful publications.

The loading of people and equipment is one of the critical tasks during the operation of MCWP’s. Inappropriate loading, overloading or unsecured loads will have an adverse effect on the platform and could lead to serious injury or death of personnel. This Toolbox Talk provides information on the correct loading of MCWP’s.

The 2022 Rental Market Reports are now available to pre-order. The award-winning reports, produced by Ducker, are presented in an easy-to-read format and are the definitive guide to the powered access rental markets.

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.

The IPAF Annual Report gives an overview of the year's activities and achievements.

This document is intended to highlight the relevant hazards and associated risks when a MEWP is to be used in public areas, which are often more challenging to control than other work sites. Identify measures that can be implemented to eliminate or reduce the risk of an incident or injury when using a MEWP in locations where public and/or vehicles are not prohibited, ie not on fixed construction sites or defined commercial premises.

Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) are designed to lift people to a position where they can work at height safely in the platform. MEWPs are not designed to be used as an overhead anchor point. Using them as such is not recommended.

Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) field servicing often carries higher risks than workshop servicing.

Are you servicing the MEWP safety in the field? Mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) field servicing often carries higher risks then workshop servicing.

This webinar investigates the obstacles that prevent progress – from issues with infrastructure, resistance-culture, perceived cost, and awareness of machine capability and, importantly, how we might approach overcoming these blockers and find where the opportunity lies. Guest speakers from different industry perspectives will take the pulse of the ‘fleet electrification culture’, looking at data from different countries and examining how barriers can be overcome.

MEWPs may encounter wind during operation, this can affect the stability of the machine. MEWPs must be designed and tested to demonstrate stability for operation while exposed to permissible wind speeds or be labelled as designed for indoor use only. Indoor-only MEWPs should only be used in areas where there is no wind force acting on the MEWP. Some MEWPs may be rated for use both indoors and outdoors use.

This webinar focused on what MEWP users need to understand and what industry stakeholders must consider. The practice of modifying machines can be a controversial topic conjuring a multitude of questions, complexities and implications. MEWP modifications are generally taboo, yet they frequently are made to MEWPs.

IPAF has worked together with Ducker to research the size of the UK powered access market, this data is correct as of November 2021.

All IPAF members have access to a discounted subscription to the Health & Safety International magazine, IPAF members can subscribe for as little as £40 instead of the original £115. 

MEWPs (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms) can operate in many environments. In some situations, hazards may be identified that are difficult to be seen by the operator, such as blind spots and provide another set of eyes on activities in the work area, including moving traffic or pedestrians. In these cases, a spotter may be used but they must be competent and authorized.