IPAF Elevation Switzerland was held at the end of January, at St Jakob Park, Basel, the home of leading Swiss football team FC Basel This was the second edition of the event and attracted 115 attendees, with around 80 participants staying on for dinner.

The date on which the updated ANSI A92 MEWP safety standards will come into effect has been postponed again, to allow required actions to deal with appeals against them, with the effective date now June 2020. Companies should continue to plan compliance.

A new representative to assist IPAF’s growing membership in South Korea has been announced, Roberto Kim having been appointed and taking up post with immediate effect. He will report to Raymond Wat, IPAF’s South East Asia Regional Manager.

A comprehensive new industry “roadmap” to becoming a qualified MEWP technician or engineer has been finalised by IPAF, with a selection of recognised training courses now listed and open for enrolment on two distinct pathways to industry certification.

Regulators in Dubai have stated that all operators must hold a valid IPAF PAL Card to work using MEWPs and MCWPs. The Dubai Municipality’s technical guidance states that all operators must hold a PAL card, supervisors must be trained in managing MEWP or MCWP operations, and rental companies must train all staff accordingly.

Brian Parker has been announced as the new Head of Safety & Technical for the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). He IPAF joins from AFI-Uplift Ltd and takes up post on 2 October, reporting to Peter Douglas, CEO and Managing Director.

What does the analysis of accident data from around the world teach us about safety in powered access? That is the important question under consideration in an upcoming instalment of an ongoing series of free webinars delivered by IPAF and guest experts.

IPAF is urging key stakeholders to join a virtual APPG meeting, which takes place via Zoom on 9 Sept. As a member of the Access Industry Forum, IPAF plays a lead role in this cross-party inquiry into accidents and fatalities while working at height in the UK.

After months of lobbying, the European Materials-Handling Federation and its partners have succeeded in gaining EU approval for a request to delay implementation of new regulations concerning the production and sale of non-road-mobile machinery (NRMM).

IPAF has helped to introduce ISO-certified MEWP operator training to Sweden, with member company Lipac Liftar now offering PAL Card training for scissor and boom-type equipment.

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has modified its eLearning operator theory module to include facial recognition technology currently deployed as a security measure on its MEWPs for Managers eLearning course. By utilising the camera on the candidate’s device or computer, this ensures only the trainee under assessment is able to undergo the eLearning.

New guidance has been issued by the UK HSE, following pressure from IPAF to clarify what should happen to machines on work sites that require an update to their safety certificates while the country is still in partial lockdown during the coronavirus outbreak.

The IPAF Summit & IAPAs 2020, scheduled to be held in London, UK, will now be held over until next year, owing to ongoing uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic.