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The Access Industry Forum (AIF) has set the date for the UK’s first ever Twitter Symposium devoted exclusively to working at height in the workplace. Starting at 11.00am on Wednesday 16 April 2014, it will take the form of a one-hour question and answer session and offer a unique opportunity to put questions to experts in every sector of the access industry. Experts in topics such as ... more
IPAF staff took the PAL + challenge last month, as Susan Foster, IPAF training operations coordinator, and Lynn Price, IPAF audit and QC manager, were the first members of the IPAF staff to successfully complete the PAL+ advanced operator course, at Facelift’s indoor facility in Liverpool. The course was led by IPAF certified instructor Gary Phillipson. PAL+ is an optional, additional one d ... more
World famous Bristolian graffiti artist Banksy is making headlines in Brighton, after his famous ‘Kissing Coppers’ art has popped up again in the city. The question on everyone’s lips is whether it’s an authentic Banksy or just a very good reproduction. What we can confirm is that our access equipment was used to reach the required heights. The artwork arrived on the front ... more
Cornwall Council and the father and son partners of a local building company have been fined for breaking safety law after the son was seriously injured in a fall through a fragile roof. Andrew Sobey, broke his pelvis after plunging between three and five metres through a cow shed roof at Neydown Farm in Poundstock, near Bude, in August 2012. He was prosecuted, alongside his father Thomas ... more
A Bristol property developer – Da Vinci Developments Limited - has been fined after it exposed at least three employees to asbestos while working on a former Marks and Spencer shop building. The HSE was alerted when they were notified by a non-licensed asbestos removal company, which had been asked to quote for the removal works. The firm was aware any such work had to be carried out by a l ... more
A caravan firm has been fined after a maintenance engineer was injured in a fall from height while renovating a caravan at its premises in Silsoe, Bedfordshire.The 30 year-old from Chingford, Essex fell approximately one and a half metres when a makeshift platform collapsed during work to attach metalwork cladding to the side of a caravan. Following the incident in February 2012, the company, Rom ... more
We are pleased to announce we've invested £3.5 million in 74 new pieces of equipment from manufacturer Ascendant. As part of our significant growth plans for 2014, we have invested in: 50 x 12.5m Van mounted platforms 12 x 22m self drive cherry pickers 12 x 18m truck mounts Discussing the investment, Gordon Leicester, Managing Director of ... more
After a recent on-site audit, the team at Facelift Hickstead were delighted to learn that they had met the criteria for Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) accreditation – a fleet safety scheme run by Transport for London (TfL). One of the primary reasons for the introduction of FORS is the unacceptable number of cycling collisions that result in death or serious injury in our natio ... more
We’re no strangers to the 760 windows of Buckingham Palace, with our cherrypickers regularly being called on to assist with routine maintenance and cleaning. Despite this, we were surprised to find ourselves ‘papped’ last month as Hello magazine ran a piece on the cost of maintaining the Queen’s residences, complete with a picture of one of our guys on a Haulotte boom lift ... more
The success of the International Powered Access Federation’s (IPAF) voluntary industry-led operator training programme was in evidence again this month, as IPAF announced that there are now half a million valid Powered Access Licences (PAL) Cards in use worldwide. Discussing the success of the PAL Card, IPAF CEO Tim Whiteman said: “Our members created and launched the platform o ... more
