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More accidents are being reported by the powered access industry through IPAF’s voluntary programme. Preliminary results from the federation’s accident database reveal there were 53 fatalities world-wide involving aerial work platforms in 2013. Causes of the fatalities included: Overturning (16), falls from height (13), entrapment (10), electrocution (7), impact with an aer ... more
An overhaul of guidance on working at height is being launched as part of the government’s plan to abolish or improve outdated, burdensome or over-complicated regulations which waste businesses’ time and money. It is estimated that more than a million British businesses and 10 million workers are estimated to carry out jobs involving some form of work at height every year, and falls ... more
If you never go anywhere without your camera phone, why not enter the International Awards for Powered Access’ (IAPA) photography competition for the chance to win a cool €1000. A celebration of some of the fantastic sights witnessed by members of the powered access industry as they take a birds-eye view of the world around them, the competition allows anyone working in the field to sh ... more
A lack of young talent coming into the construction industry is threatening more than 62,000 jobs, according to new research released by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Their study shows that over two fifths (42%) of construction firms are struggling to recruit workers with the right skills and that this is having a serious impact on businesses up and down the country – wit ... more
The British Standards Institute (BSI) has published a document which sets the industry standard for the design and use of low-level work platforms for the first time. These low-level work platforms (LLWPs) – also known as podiums and pulpits – have become everyday items of work equipment since the introduction of the Work at Height Regulations in 2005. The document from the BSI, ent ... more
Putting the safety of our staff and customers first is at the heart of all we do at Facelift, which is why we regularly create high-impact retro style safety posters to share with our customers. Our 2013 posters included everything from a ‘be safe, be seen!’ message in January and advice on how to avoid slips and trips in July to posters addressing the quite specific dangers faced by ... more
IPAF has launched a machine-readable Smart PAL Card (Powered Access Licence), available in different languages, which can be used to ensure that only trained operators can use mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) on site. The Smart PAL Card looks the same as the standard PAL Card, and contains the data stored on the card, such as the operator name, number and categories in which an operator is ... more
Asbestos, once a widely used building material, is now known to cause everything from scarring of the lungs to fatal lung cancer. Subsequently, its use was banned in 1999. However, this ban does not mean that the danger has passed. Because the ban was only introduced in 1999, there is a risk that in any building built before this year (i.e. most of them) asbestos will be present, ready to be rele ... more
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has released its 2013 annual report. The report details everything RoSPA did last year to help raise awareness of what the public can do to minimise the risk of being involved in an accident. This year’s report even shows how simple steps to prevent accidents really can save lives, and features the stories of two families wh ... more
Northamptonshire shoppers were forced to run for safety as a scaffold collapsed and fell some 20 metres towards them, a court has heard. Nobody was hurt, but several people required treatment for shock as a result of the incident at the Willow Place Shopping Centre in Queen’s Square, Corby on 17 August 2012. Local firm Desborough Scaffolding Limited, of Desborough, was prosecuted today (16 ... more
