MCWP support

IPAF’s Andy Access posters are now being tailored to the MCWP market

Lifting the bar on MCWP and hoist training

IPAF has around 50 members specia lising in MC WP, lif t and hoist activities, and since 2017 has been expa nding its off er to increase supp ort f or these, f or instance by issuing PAL Ca rds to MC WP operators and developi ng a new trai ning programme. It’s a growi ng market, w hich is pa rticularly mature in the UK and Ireland

Since 2017, IPAF has geared up the work it does to serve the mast-climbing work platform (MCWP), lift and hoist markets. Our members in this area of powered access work mainly into the construction sector, and it’s a growing market around the world.

Angel Ibáñez, IPAF’s global representative for MCWPs and related products, comments: “We foresee healthy expansion across at least the next three years for the sector. This, together with a growing interest in training the operators, installers and demonstrators, will lead to a significantly increased number of PAL Cards issued for MCWPs, lifts and hoists in the next few years. “The UK and Ireland are relatively mature markets in terms of health and safety in the workplace, but there’s still a long way to go in terms of ensuring consistency in the use of MCWPs, lifts and hoists on work sites.

∕∕ Our members who are hire companies tell us equipment is often damaged by someone operating a hoist or lift who has no training Angel Ibáñez, IPAF

“The main room for improvement lies in training the operator to the same high standards as IPAF delivers in terms of MEWP training,” he adds. To this end, IPAF has been offering MCWP courses since 2016 in Operator, Demonstrator, Mobile Operator, Installer, Advanced Installer and Training Instructor categories. During 2019, the federation fully updated all the existing supplementary materials across its MCWP training programme. “During 2018 IPAF developed specific Operator and Demonstrator training for lifts and hoists, and these started to be rolled out from January 2019,” Ibáñez explains. “There is a huge need in the market for this kind of training, as our members who are hire companies of this type of equipment tell us it is often damaged through misuse or abuse, usually from someone being designated to operate a hoist or lift who has little or no training. It is assumed to be very simple to operate and almost impossible to do something wrong. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as people have found out to their cost. “At the moment IPAF has a working group working on the creation of lift and hoist training for Installer, Advanced Installer and Trainer, and these new courses will be launched on or before January 2021.”

He continues: “It’s a sign of how IPAF is determined to assist members and operators in the MCWP, lift and hoist sectors that since 2017 we have been invited to participate in the Construction Plant-hire Association’s (CPA) Construction Hoists Interest Group (CHIG) meetings, and the chair of CHIG is reciprocally invited to IPAF’s UK and Ireland MCWP, Lift and Hoist Work Group meetings. The goal is to foster cooperation between our organisations.”

IPAF has also published Andy Access safety posters specific to the use of MCWPs, for instance warning about not interfering with ties and the dangers of overloading the MCWP platform. Ibáñez adds: “We are working on the development of two new posters for lifts and hoists warning against overloading the cage and understanding and respecting the safe working loads stated by the manufacturer.

“All these posters will have accompanying IPAF Tool Box Talks, to help staff supervisors or site managers deliver very short and simple safety briefings to users at the start of a shift.”

Visit www.ipaf.org/AndyAccess to view a full range of work site safety posters or www.ipaf.org/ ToolboxTalk to view and download IPAF’s short site safety briefings. The range is being expanded all the time, and all materials can be tailored with your company logo and downloaded absolutely free of charge in multiple languages.