HEALTH & SAFETY ENGINEERING
INSIGHT INTO ACCIDENTS INVOLVING MOBILE ELEVATING WORK PLATFORMS A new report by the International Powered Access Federation provides valuable information. The Global MEWP Safety Report 2016-2018, produced by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), presents key findings from the federation’s analysis of accident statistics gathered through its worldwide accident reporting project which has incident reporting from 25 countries around the globe. The report is now available to view or download via www.ipaf.org/accident.
sites, the new report identifies recurring underlying causes of incidents involving MEWPs, as falls from the platform, electrocutions, entrapments, MEWP tip-overs and MEWPs being struck by another vehicle. This is in
Accidents on construction sites account for the joint highest average number per year, but as Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) are used much more widely in construction than in other sectors and locations, they are in fact proportionally less likely to occur on controlled work sites such as construction sites, commercial or rental premises, than in a remote location or a public area, such as alongside a road, the report shows. As well as the increased proportional risk of an accident occurring when working away from controlled job
Accidents while using Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) are proportionally more likely when working in public areas or alongside roads than on controlled work sites. 18
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER March 2020
