Share Your Story: Shape the Future of the Powered Access Industry

Have you experienced an incident or near-miss with powered access machines? Contribute to IPAF’s #ShareYourStory initiative and make a difference. 

Your experience – whether it’s a near-miss, a lesson learned, a life-saving tip or just a moment where your training kicked in – has the potential to spark industry-wide change. By sharing your story, you’re not just recounting an event, you’re helping us build a culture that values transparency, reflection and collective safety.

Think of aviation: initiatives like the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) and Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) transformed that industry by promoting confidential, voluntary reporting of near misses and safety issues, without fear of blame or punishment. This culture of openness has become a foundation for continuous improvement, trust, and world-leading safety performance.

We want to build the same within the powered access industry.

By learning from each other – openly and without fear – we can drive the kind of cultural shift that saves lives and shapes the future of powered access.

Why Your Story Matters

• It’s about more than rules; it’s about culture. Personal stories drive connection, build trust, and make safety a shared commitment.
• Your insight can save lives. Contributions shape training, guidance, and safety conversations across the sector.

What You Might Share

Here are some prompts to spark your thinking.

Think About…

• A close call or near-miss: These often hold rich lessons about hazards that almost occurred, and how they were avoided.
• A fatal accident or serious incident: These experiences, while incredibly difficult, can be powerful catalysts for industry-wide learning. Sharing what happened, what was learned, and what’s changed can help prevent future tragedies.
• A learning moment: Maybe you innovated a safer procedure or saw how small changes led to big gains.
• A culture shift: Reflect on times you or your teams behaviour changed; perhaps a conversation or new practice that improved how your team works.

At the heart of IPAF's #ShareYourStory campaign is a powerful contribution from Ben Hirst, Director and Founder of Horizon Platforms. His personal and eye-opening experience was developed into our first safety video (below) to help raise awareness, enhance training, and open up conversation. 

Video: A Story That Could Have Been a Tragedy – Horizon Platforms 

Our second video recalls the story of a MEWP overturn incident and the key learning points.

Video: The Importance of Ground Conditions

Join the #ShareYourStory Movement

If you have an experience you’d like to share, simply fill in your details below and provide as much information as possible on the incident or near-miss. IPAF can anonymise your story, if preferred. 

This form will not submit your incident into the IPAF Accident Reporting Portal, please complete this directly on the portal.

Help Us Build a Safer Industry – Share Your Story

Read how we store, collect and use your data on our privacy policy.