IPAF Elevating Safety 2021

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An AC Business Media Supplement, 2021

INTERNATIONAL POWERED ACCESS FEDERATION

EL EV ATING SAFE T Y Fall 2021

IS YOUR TRAINING

REALLY TRAINING?

Experienced MEWP training and safety professionals from across the industry tell us what constitutes quality training and why it's important.  Page 8

@Valentin, @ roboriginal, @ Daniel Avram, @Roman_23203, @shark749, @auremar – stock.adobe.com

Promoting the safe and effective use of powered access

HALF-HEARTED TRAINING IS FINE. AS LONG AS YOU’RE OK WITH HALF-HEARTED SAFETY. Life is full of shortcuts. But operating mobile elevating work platforms without properly trained, tested operators is a dead end decision. Train right. Insist on the PAL Card as proof.

A valid PAL Card proves the holder has passed an approved and audited IPAF theory and practical test, compliant to industry standards.

Find an IPAF-approved training center near you at IPAF.org.

Ensure MEWP safe operations with Qualified MEWP Supervisors trained online with IPAF’s MEWP Supervisor eLearning course.

MEETS OR EXCEEDS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MEWP ANSI/CSA STANDARDS.

A CHALLENGING 18 MONTHS BUT A BRIGHT FUTURE

W

elcome to the latest edition of Elevating Safety, IPAF’s magazine for readers in the U.S. and North America. Since it was last published, the world has ridden waves of the virus and the global vaccine roll-out is turning the tide. In the U.S., there has been a significant shift in political and economic impetus that also brings cause for cautious optimism.

IPAF continues to support our members and the wider powered access industry, producing guidance on managing risk, promoting quality training and industry safe practice, and helping influence standards and assist companies with implementation and compliance.

There are many things businesses will do differently long after the pandemic has receded. Many people are questioning whether we just go back to doing things as before or embrace the ‘new normal.’ Uptake of IPAF’s eLearning increased five-fold last year and has shown little sign of returning to pre-pandemic levels now that people are switched on to the benefits of learning remotely online, at a time, place, and pace of their choosing.

Despite all the disruption, IPAF has progressed key initiatives: We published our Global Safety Report 2021 and revamped the IPAF reporting portal to make it more user-friendly. We are seeing increasing numbers of reports from North America, which will allow IPAF to target safety messaging and tailor training to address some of the most common causes of accidents and fatalities, including the number one cause in the U.S. – electrocutions.

Perhaps the most exciting development is ePAL – our MEWP and MCWP operator mobile app. It promises to revolutionize the way IPAF-trained operators store their digital PAL Card, record equipment time, and access safety information, as well as logging accident and near-miss reports quickly, easily – and, if so desired, anonymously – via the IPAF portal.

This magazine contains articles on the latest advances in powered access, standards and training, IPAF news, and safety initiatives. The cover article this year challenges those deploying MEWPs to conduct temporary work at height: “Have your workers been trained hard or hardly trained?”

It’s a deliberately provocative cover line for a serious look at what constitutes quality and compliant MEWP operator and supervisor training, in light of the updated CSA and ANSI Standards. Elsewhere, there is a look back at lessons we’ve learned during the pandemic, how things have changed for the better, and why there may be cause for real optimism.

Sadly, we decided to cancel our virtual Innovate workshop this year to instead focus our energy on a return to in-person events such as the 2022 IPAF Summit & IAPAs in London. I hope we’re all soon back at industry events, and able to travel to meet and network face-to-face with friends and colleagues again. Until then, I hope you enjoy this magazine.

Peter Douglas, IPAF CEO IPAF Elevating Safety is published by AC Business Media. This material is intended to provide general guidelines for safety and best practice in the use of powered access equipment. Under no circumstances should the material be used as an exclusive source of technical and safety information. The publishers disclaim liability for any loss, damage, injury or cost incurred.

TA BL E OF C ON T E N T S

4 IN THE NEWS |

The latest information and reports from IPAF and the powered access industry.

8 THE BIG DEBATE |

Experienced MEWP training and safety professionals from across the industry tell us what constitutes quality training and why it’s important.

14 COVID AND SAFETY |

We are in a new place, unlikely to return completely back to where we were. What’s missing is a sense of what behaviors have changed for good and which are likely to revert to pre-pandemic norms.

16 ACCIDENT REPORTING |

IPAF’s updated accident reporting portal gathers specific information that can be used to help inform and update training courses and safety guidance.

18 FOCUS ON MEWPS |

MEWP users vary greatly from the one-time user to the daily user. The one thing in common is the need to have a safe-use program in place to address the scope and needs for ensuring the operation is safe for everyone.

22 ON THE JOB |

The launch of the IPAF ePAL mobile app for PAL card holders features a digital PAL Card, logbook, and more for users of powered access equipment. Peter Douglas, IPAF CEO, and Søren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit, explain why this initiative was key.

24 ON THE HORIZON |

Offering help complying with industry standards, free safety and technical guidance, a range of live events, and much more, membership to IPAF offers a fantastic return on investment.

25 EDUCATION |

Alliance, collaboration, and focus on member and industry benefits will see an increase in the activities and events where SAIA and IPAF join forces in the future, leveraging their shared expertise to enhance the safe use of powered access equipment.

26 FOCUS ON MCWPS |

Gone are the days – thankfully – when mast-climbing work platforms (MCWPs) and construction hoists were installed, and the contractor received the keys without a thought about training or supervision. Here’s why IPAF training is the only way to go..

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AC BUSINESS MEDIA

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IN T HE NE W S

IPAF SAYS ‘SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY’ TO RECOVERY FROM PANDEMIC Sustainability, digitization, and adopting technologies are the key to coming back from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the presenters at this year’s IPAF Summit, hosted for the first time as a virtual event.

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Sustainability, digitization, and adopting new technologies are the key to building back from the COVID-19 pandemic, said presenters at this year’s IPAF Summit, hosted for the first time as a virtual event along with a digital prize-giving for the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) back in March.

era, and the opportunities of digital and technological innovation for safer work at height.

Suzannah Nichol, CEO of Build UK, said during her Summit-opening presentation: “How do we grow and build sustainable businesses? Pay suppliers on time, treat staff well, and invest in new technology. That’s what IPAF and Build UK have in common. We also want to make our industry more efficient, reduce waste, and increase productivity.

Søren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit, presented along with Peter Douglas, CEO and managing director of IPAF, about the organizations’ collaboration in producing the new ePAL app for mobile devices (read more on page 22).

Brogaard ran through a digital demo of the app, adding: “We all know filling

The theme of the IPAF Summit was the question of sustainability in powered access, the challenges of operating safely and effectively in the post-COVID-19

out or populating paper operator logbooks has been a little bit of a challenge.

For the first time, this app will offer a digital log of an operator’s activities that can

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be anonymized and shared to the benefit of the industry as a whole.”

Karel Huijser (JLG), Pierre Boels (Boels), and Norty Turner (United Rentals) closed the Summit in a virtual round-table discussion moderated by Murray Pollok of Access International, who began by asking, “Is the powered access industry doing enough to be sustainable?”

Boels felt the industry could be proactive in marketing cleaner electricpowered machines, but is limited by a need to balance costs and what customers are willing to pay.

Turner countered: “Is any industry doing enough? I don’t think so… but we need to push hard to find new opportunities to do more. Pierre is right; what will ultimately drive it is the economics behind it. Just look at the automotive industry; it is really starting to flip. We will need to see similar in the construction industry, to get the economic imperative in balance with what the market will pay.”

He felt the access industry was ahead of other industries in terms of the capability of electric machines and that contractor end-users are becoming more aware of sustainability across the board.

Huijser also drew comparisons with the automotive industry, emphasizing the importance of investing in and focusing on battery technology to drive innovation: “The U.S. is beginning to catch up in this regard, and so, demand for electric-powered solutions is rising there.”

Participants agreed the pandemic wouldn’t halt the drive for sustainability; as Boels said, “Going green is irreversible.” It has presented opportunities to “go green,” such as less business travel and more use of video conferencing, but Turner said, “I believe events such as this will return to being ‘in-person’ once the pandemic is over.”

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IN T HE NE W S

IPAF GLOBAL SAFETY REPORT HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR BETTER CAPTURE OF NEAR-MISS DATA The latest report analyses the main causes of serious injuries and fatalities occurring when using powered access machines in the period 2016-2020.

The IPAF Global Safety Report 2021 analyzes the main causes of serious injuries and fatalities occurring when using powered access machines to conduct temporary work at height, highlighting the need to gather more near-miss data from across the industry worldwide to help avoid the most common types of serious accident in future.

While the report, based on incidents logged in IPAF’s Accident Reporting Portal, indicates the main causes of serious injuries and deaths have not changed significantly across the most recent two years of data, electrocutions have increased slightly to become the most common cause along with falls from the platform.

Over the whole five-year period, from 2016-2020, the most common causes of fatal incidents were falls from the platform and electrocutions, both accounting for 23 percent of deaths, followed by entrapments (19 percent), MEWP overturns/tip-overs

IPAF’S FREE EDUCATIONAL WEBINAR SERIES CONTINUES TO EXPAND The series of webinars encompass a MEWP users’ responsibilities in a MEWP-specific safe-use program.

The IPAF North America Regional Council has a goal of supporting all MEWP users to meet their responsibilities and raise awareness of the new ANSI A92 MEWP standards. Therefore, IPAF released a series of webinars that surround a MEWP users’ responsibilities encompassed in a MEWP-specific safeuse program.

Three of five webinars, titled “ANSI MEWP User Responsibilities,” “Developing MEWP-Specific Safe-Use Plan,” and “Providing Standardized Compliant/Reliable Training,” have been delivered already and are recorded for ongoing use.

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(12 percent), MEWPs being struck by another machine or vehicle (6 percent), or hit by falling object(s) (5 percent).

This year, the report has been presented a different way, with an executive summary giving a global overview, followed by detailed data spreads looking at each of the six main accident types broken down by location, machine type, industry sector, including lost-time-incident analysis specific to each incident classification.

Brian Parker, IPAF’s head of safety and technical, says, “This new format will make the report easier to digest and understand, especially for members of the powered access rental industry, and health and safety representatives at IPAF member companies, as well as end-use contractors of powered access.”

Read more on page 16, and visit www.ipaf.org/accident to view or download the IPAF Global Safety Report 2021.

All IPAF webinars can be found via www.ipaf.org/webinars to review free of charge. The next free webinar is Aug. 5, called “Developing MEWP Risk Assessment and Safe-Work Procedures.”

Everyone who operates a MEWP, or is responsible for preforming site risk assessments for any job, needs to register for this session.

On Sep. 23, “How to Conduct MEWP Operator Evaluations” will discuss how MEWP users are responsible for monitoring, supervising, and evaluating operators on a regular basis to ensure their proficiency. Visit www.ipaf.org/events to view all upcoming IPAF presentations, events, and webinars and find details of how to register.

T HE BIG DE B AT E

By Tony Groat, IPAF Nor th America Manager

Are your Workers Trained Hard or Hardly Trained?

Elevating Safety spoke to a group of experienced MEWP training and safety professionals from across the industry to provide the following summary of what constitutes quality training and evaluate its importance.

P

roviding MEWP operator training is not a new requirement. Users/employers of MEWP operators have long been required, either by country regulations or published standards, to ensure their personnel received MEWP operator training, MEWP model-specific familiarization, and are qualified for the task prior to authorization to operate a MEWP. However, a misconception that is evident to a lesser degree today sees some employers accepting the model-specific familiarization provided by rental companies at the time of delivery as satisfactory “operator training.”

Compliant MEWP operator training includes instruction that enables the trainee to become a qualified person to conduct the task to be performed, including knowledge regarding potential hazards. It specifies requirements for application, inspection, training, maintenance, repair, and safe operation of MEWPs. Familiarization is the necessary information regarding the features, functions, devices, limitations, and operating characteristics as defined by the manufacturer in the operator’s manual, including the verification that the manufacturer’s operation manual is stored on the MEWP for ongoing reference.

As is often the case, if a MEWP user does not understand the difference between, and the need for, MEWP operator training and familiarization, it is likely they are not choosing the right training.

In June 2020, new industry standards went into effect for the design, safe use, and training regarding MEWPs. The safe-use standard defined the responsibilities regarding the requirements for safe MEWP operations and training of personnel. The training standard defines what needs to be included in training, and how it is to be delivered. While much of what was added in both the safe-use and training standards should have already been in place, the standards added details to better ensure complete, consistent, and compliant training is provided to MEWP operators.

A group of industry training experts, made up of Jake Kidd, Sunstate Equipment; Bart Krzysztofek, Skyjack; Scott Owyen, Genie; Bal Guerrero, United Rentals; and myself, have shared responses to questions that will assist MEWP users/employers

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selecting standardized and effective training for their workers prior to authorization of MEWP operation. Their answers are summarized below.

Q: How can a user select appropriate, standardized, and effective MEWP operator training for their personnel?

It is extremely helpful if the user is familiar with the training requirements outlined in the ANSI A92.24 and CSA B354.8 standards (for the U.S. and Canada, respectively). The training standards provide methods and guidelines to prepare MEWP training materials, define administrative criteria, and deliver elements required for proper training and familiarization.

Both standards incorporate provisions from the respective countries’ safe-use standards to address requirements for application, inspection, training, maintenance, repair, and safe operation of MEWPs. While government regulation offers the minimum requirements, these industry standards provide the most current information that a MEWP user/employer can follow to ensure a safe and productive workplace involving MEWP operations.

Consider that OSHA regulations for aerial lifts were written in 1970 and treat scissor lifts as a rolling scaffold, and you will appreciate that not using the current industry standards, which are followed by every MEWP manufacturer, equates to not taking reasonable precautions for your workers’ safety.

Published in 2010, another excellent resource that is available for free is the Statement of Best Practices of General Training and Familiarization for Aerial Work Platform Equipment. Created by industry associations involved with MEWP safe-use, the document clarifies what is required for general training and model-specific familiarization of aerial work platform (AWP) equipment, now known as MEWPs. While it references prior industry standards in effect at the time, the guidance still applies today as a tool to understand MEWP operator training, familiarization requirements, and safe practices.

If you are looking to outsource your training needs, start with your MEWP manufacturer, which has the responsibility to develop and offer training materials that will aid dealers, owners,

IPAF

supervisors, operators, and occupants to comply with their responsibilities for training and familiarization. Further, consider training provided by a leading and well-recognized training provider (such as IPAF-approved training centers); this will also ensure that the training will be appropriate, effective, and compliant with the most up-to-date industry requirements. Like any other purchase you make, you should ask questions of the training provider to verify that the training will be of sufficient length and substance prior to scheduling the course.

Q: What are some of the administrative criteria required for effective training?

Training administration must ensure the training provided is thorough and consistently delivered regardless of by whom, where, and when it is delivered. While training content is important, it is only one part of the learning equation. Effective training occurs when complete and thorough content is provided through effective delivery methods, facilitating the training to be understood, retained, and implemented by trainees. Training administration has several tasks to manage: • Qualified instructors: The training should only be delivered by a qualified person, who is trained and experienced in the safe operation of various types of MEWPs; understands and can explain the rules, regulations, and standards that apply to MEWPs; understands manufacturer’s requirements; and

is familiar with how to recognize and avoid hazards associated with their operation.

• Complete and thorough curriculum: The curriculum for operator training shall incorporate the topics and subjects listed in the industry standard for both MEWP theory and practical training. The curriculum must clearly identify that training covers only the classification for the MEWP(s) included in the training.

• Appropriate training environment: The environment where training occurs must be free from hazards and supportive to learning (eliminate distractions). The theory training environment should incorporate proper lighting and acoustics, room size, and capacity to accommodate the number of trainees; provide adequate heating and air conditioning; provide appropriate presentation equipment; ensure visibility for all trainees of the presentation; and access to restroom facilities. Students should also be given breaks from the training on an hourly or so basis. Note that the same considerations should apply when using online eLearning courses.

The practical (hands-on) training environment should be a dedicated area set aside for training that is free from other moving equipment and personnel traffic. Warnings such as flags, roped off areas, barricades, or flashing lights

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T HE BIG DE B AT E

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shall be used when appropriate. The location must include a firm, level ground capable of supporting the weight of the MEWP and occupants in the platform. Coning the area off to alert personnel that training is taking place is always a good idea. Also, include methods to test oscillating axles, tilt sensors, etc. A risk assessment is required for each location where a practical test is to be given to identify, eliminate, or mitigate all hazards and risks associated with safe use of the MEWP during training.

• Written testing for theory and practical training: To demonstrate competency, each trainee must prove their proficiency in both theory (classroom/online) and practical (hands-on). The measure of proficiency is documented though the testing results and practical evaluations.

Industry standards offer examples of the testing to consider with your training. Note: Prior standards simply stated that, “Each trainee, under the supervision of a qualified person, shall operate a MEWP for a sufficient period of time to demonstrate proficiency in the actual operation of the MEWP.” Training administration must define, “How long is a sufficient period of time?” and “how do we measure proficiency?”

• Personal documentation: Upon successful completion of the training program, the MEWP user shall be furnished with proof of training by the training entity referencing compliance with the specific training standard, including the name of training company and trainer, MEWP classification in the training class, date of training, name of successful trainee, and expiration date of training validity.

• Record retention: Training records shall be dated and retained by the user for at least the period of time the training is valid, and the familiarization records will be retained for at least four years (U.S.).

Q: What is the required content for MEWP operator theory training and practical (hands-on) training?

The standards clearly outline the requirements for content in both theory and practical hands-on training. The theory training needs

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to address more than the basics of how to make the machine move and must include, but is not limited to, the proper selection of the correct MEWP for the work to be performed; the rules, regulations, and standards that apply to MEWPs; the purpose and use of operator’s manuals, placards, and decals, and the requirement that the manuals must remain on the machine at all times; how to perform a pre-operation inspection on the machine prior to use; responsibilities associated with problems or malfunctions that affect safe operation; factors that affect the stability of the machine; hazard recognition and avoidance; how to perform a workplace risk assessment including rescue planning; the proper use of PPE; securing the MEWP from unauthorized use; and occupant instruction.

The practical hands-on training needs to address how an operator applies theory training and proficiently maneuvers the MEWP work platform into position to perform their task. The training includes, but is not limited to, reviewing a workplace risk assessment and planning the route of travel (i.e., workplace inspection); machine walk-around and familiarization of the MEWP to be operated; performing a pre-operation inspection; planning the route of travel and set-up as required for the practical test that will determine the operation and function of all controls in the completion of the practical course task/test; and parking and securing the MEWP upon completion.

Design and delivery of appropriate practical testing is part of the administration of training that ensures the operator is required to operate and function all controls in the completion of the practical course task/test. As jobsites, MEWP equipment, and tasks vary, MEWP operator training alone does not make an operator qualified for every task but provides the foundation to enable each successful trainee to become qualified.

Q: What are some of the attributes one needs to be a qualified MEWP instructor?

In addition to being properly trained on the delivery of the MEWP operator training theory and the practical course to be delivered, an instructor must be experienced in the safe operation of the various MEWP categories and accessories; possess an understanding of, and be able to clearly explain, the rules, regulations, and standards that apply to MEWPs; have an understanding of MEWP manufacturer’s requirements; and be familiar with how to recognize and avoid hazards associated with their operation and complete a site risk assessment for all areas where training will be delivered.

MEWP training instructors should have excellent communication and presentation skills, and understand the teaching methods and learning styles of adult learners. The instructors must demonstrate integrity, confidence, and create a safe, open, honest learning environment where trainees are comfortable asking questions and sharing experiences. They must have great organizational skills and be effective time managers to ensure all training is delivered within the set times of the training day communicated to the trainees. Being passionate about safety helps

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T HE BIG DE B AT E

position the trainer as a trusted confidant and advisor in the eyes of students, with the ability to convey “why” safety is important – no shortcuts.

Q: What testing is required to measure proficiency of MEWP operator theory and practical training?

Each student must show proficiency in both theory and practical hands-on training. The theory training typically involves a written test to confirm the level of comprehension of the covered material.

The practical hands-on training involves the student demonstrating proficiency in the application of theory knowledge and actual operation of a MEWP in front of a qualified trainer that requires the operation and function of all controls. A Q&A with candidates, following instructor directions, and visual evaluations is also included in practical testing.

Q: How long should one expect MEWP operator training to take? Are there variables to consider?

Industry standards define required performance and not a required amount of time to accomplish the task. As such, the amount of time to complete MEWP operator training has varied significantly in the market. The introduction of a MEWP training standard will hopefully narrow this variance and better ensure that complete, consistent, and compliant training is delivered. It’s important to give the trainees a quality training experience and allow them to gather as much knowledge as possible— and that does take a certain amount of time.

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The Statement of Best Practices of General Training and Familiarization for Aerial Work Platform Equipment from 2010 states that general training (classroom/online plus the practical hands-on training) should take three to six hours or more, depending upon the class size and number of MEWP classifications to be covered. There are variables to consider such as how many people will be in the class, how many MEWP classifications will be covered in the class, and which models will be used. It is widely accepted that a full eight-hour day is the time that should be allocated to a MEWP training class with four to six trainees on two categories.

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At Genie and Skyjack, both very proficient in the delivery of training, it is reported that MEWP training courses, including both instructor-led theory and hands-on practical, typically last six to eight hours or longer if they are covering more than one classification. IPAF training does not allow the training of more than six trainees on two categories of MEWP when theory and practical are being delivered in a single day.

If you consider that theory training eLearning courses take on average between two-and-a-half and three hours to complete start to finish without breaks, the same course material is used for instructor-led training, so three to four hours is a reasonable time for theory training.

Practical testing requires the group to review site risk assessment and workplace inspections – verifying each trainee can complete one (20 minutes minimum), a MEWP model familiarization on each MEWP being used in the training (15 minutes each x two categories = 30 minutes), a group prestart inspection that requires involvement of each trainee to ensure their proficiency in the visual inspection and function test of every control at both ground control and work platform control (20 minutes each x two = 40 minutes), followed by instructions of the practical test route and operational task (5 minutes x two = 10 minutes), followed by the operation on each MEWP category by each trainee (15 minutes scissor x six trainees = 90 minutes + 20 minutes boom x six trainees = 120 minutes). That makes a total of 310 minutes/60 = 5.2 hours.

Combined with the four-hour theory training including lunch and breaks, you have a 9+ hour day. It may be possible to complete this inside eight hours – but four hours? The number of trainees and categories of MEWP in the training are the main variables for total time for the training.

The panel of experienced trainers add that in their experience, other real-world factors include the number of extra breaks the students take, how long they take to return from lunch, the number of questions that are asked, weather conditions, complexity of equipment or task, and the length of the discussions that arise. Questions and discussions should be encouraged and not rushed. All of these issues must also be managed to ensure all required training is delivered within the scheduled time.

The group’s agreed opinion is that if a training organization claims that they can teach a MEWP class in less than three or four hours, they are not covering the required information properly, which can give the students a false sense of security and lead to extremely dangerous situations. All have had a shockingly large number of students show an operator training card that they received from a previous training entity that states that they are a qualified operator, saying it only took 30 minutes or less to get the card.

Clearly, we as an industry must put a stop to that incredibly dangerous behavior. Articles like this one can go a long way in educating employers and safety personnel on what constitutes appropriate and effective training. p

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C O V ID A ND S A F E T Y

By Tony Groat, IPAF Nor th America Manager

How We View COVID-19 in the Rear-view Mirror We are in a new place, and it seems unlikely we will ever return completely back to where we were before the coronavirus crisis. What’s missing is a sense of what behaviors have changed for good and which are likely to revert to pre-pandemic norms.

I

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t was March 2020 when President Donald Trump declared a state of national emergency due to the pandemic. I am sure today most people would pay good money to never hear the term “COVID-19” again in their lifetime.

Regardless of your personal experience with this pandemic, there is no person, industry, or business that has not been impacted by it. Many have been compelled to work from home, significantly limit their socializing, and wear masks in public – even in a bank!

As the U.S. appears to finally be out of its grip and life begins to focus on post-pandemic life, the questions are now, “What did we learn?” “What is the new normal?” and “What comes next?”

What Have We Learned?

Hopefully all have learned how to be a bit more patient – it has been a much longer time than anyone could have expected before we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel, a journey that has had several twists and turns along the way.

On an individual level, we learned to commit ourselves to a few simple behaviors – regularly washing our hands for 60 seconds, disinfecting our surroundings, and wearing face masks to

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protect others from potential exposure to viral contagion. These simple but basic actions have proven to be effective mitigations that we can use to lessen the risk of exposure to airborne contaminants (even the common cold) by simply taking care of ourselves and our immediate environment in future.

We also learned that people do not like being told what to do, even if it is for their own good! Not everyone will agree or apply universally accepted solutions, so added precautions must be taken to mitigate other potential risks. This is not unlike performing a site risk assessment and considering the safeguards for others in the work environment. Good safety practices equally apply to pandemics.

COVID-19 has, in some ways, been a catalyst to reinvent how businesses accomplish certain tasks and for companies to look at things differently. From a business perspective, the pandemic highlighted misconceptions, shortcomings, and weaknesses of business structures and management beliefs.

When faced with a crisis, you must quickly identify what is important and what is not. This is information that all businesses should not need a crisis to apply: Things like working from home, not being afraid to leverage technological efficiencies, getting back to business basics like cash flow, collections, keeping in touch with your customers, providing flawless service (doing things right the first time), prioritizing, letting your customers and employees know that you value them above all else, and treating everyone the way you would want to be treated.

People learned how to do work independently and with far less oversight. They learned what works and what doesn’t work at home, and that holding virtual meetings can be effective, time-saving, and cost-effective. Managers learned to trust their employees to get on with the priority tasks, to be flexible and calm, and employees repaid their bosses’ trust with a can-do attitude and gains in productivity, while finding the benefits of a more even work-life balance.

Our ability to identify and proactively equip our teams with not just physical resources, but skills, attitudes, performance, and values will be critical in ensuring that we build back better.

We also learned that we are truly social creatures, and we want and need social interaction. While internet meetings with webcams can be effective, they cannot replace face-to-face networking, large events, and gatherings. The future will no doubt prove that there is a time and place for both.

Last, we learned that despite the challenges created by forces outside our control, we must be resilient, flexible, and strong every day. The 2009 financial crash and the 2020-21 pandemic will not be the last crises we encounter, and we must be ready to face each one directly and decisively. Failure is never an option.

What is the New Normal?

We are never going back to “business as usual” and we shouldn’t.

We cannot unlearn the lessons we’ve lived through and their impact. We will still eat, work, relax, and sleep – perhaps not the same way we did a year ago. Many will now vacation in the same place – “Puerta Backyard!”

Zoom meetings, webinars, virtual trade shows, sanitizing, face masks during cold/flu season, washing hands, sanitizing stations everywhere, and work-from-home options for those employees not mandated to work in the office are all examples of permanent changes that are here to stay. Companies are considering what tasks that are not essential to perform on site.

We are building more adaptive teams, who are easily in touch with each other, and connection has become a priority to support working remotely. We can move faster and act in more agile ways than we thought and have plans in place to counteract business disruptions.

We have all become hardened for the next crisis. We have been fire-tested with better ideas of what can and cannot be done outside our companies’ traditional processes and implemented procedures that add flexibility to the needs of the day. We have identified simpler, faster, and less expensive ways to operate. We will doubtless question much more rigorously the imperative for business travel.

The pandemic has left businesses with residual hurdles to contend with, such as a perplexing collection of supply-chain and logistical disruptions. Manufacturers can’t build when critical components are missing. Shipping lead times are extended beyond belief. Rehiring and adding new employees are a greater challenge. Many costs are increasing at unprecedented rates. Wages and overheads are rising, and the knock-on effect of pent-up domestic spending, and the difficulties and expense of overseas travel, has meant a shortage of construction products as people turn to home improvements and adding a pool to the yard!

The new normal is shorthand for the idea that change is constant, and all must adapt at a lightning pace when crises arise.

Business must shift from being reactive to transformative. We not only have to adapt to change, but we must drive change and proactively embrace the opportunities inherent in significant challenges we encounter.

What Comes Next?

Future historians will likely refer to the COVID-19 crisis as an inflection point – an event that changed the world and will be looked back upon as pivotal.

There is no dispute that 2020 was a year like few others in our lifetime, with truly worldwide impact. While it is impossible to say with certainty what the legacy of the pandemic will be for the U.S., it is clear that business leaders must maneuver between managing through the immediate disruptions of the present while predicting and planning for the future.

Companies are dealing with safety, recovering business, and figuring out how to bring back employees and equipment. During the pandemic, we learned to cope; in the post-pandemic world, we need to learn to prosper, find the opportunities created by changes in customer behavior and attitudes toward office work and travel, and consider new possibilities of what can be.

But just being aware that things are different and knowing what to do about it are two different things. We are in a new place and are never going completely back to where we were. What’s missing is a sense of what behaviors have changed for good and which are likely to revert to pre-pandemic norms.

If we had a crystal ball to gaze into the future, it’s unlikely we would be motivated to do anything differently as most people do not like change. Said differently, most people are not sufficiently motivated to change. Like wearing a face mask to mitigate others’ risk of exposure to airborne contaminants. How many people could not wait to remove the requirement and hope to never wear one again? Why? Didn’t the use of masks prove to be effective? Didn’t we see how colds and flus spread at our children’s schools, at the office, and while traveling, and how masks seem to curb that?

Everyone talks about the future, but most folks are not motivated to really do anything to plan for it proactively. Like a stretched rubber band that wants to return to its resting position, people do not like the tension between ‘normal’ and ‘change.’ Normal is comfortable and change inserts tension and pressure that most want to go away. The path we travel is the path of least resistance.

What the future holds is a key to new opportunities for the people, managers, and workers alike, who embrace change as their normal. They learn never to be content with normal. We live in a different time where the pace of change is accelerating. COVID-19 underscored how important it is to have tools that improve decision-making in a crisis. The pandemic forced businesses to adapt to required changes, many of which will remain as they have resulted in improved productivity and customer satisfaction. The rush to return to normal will be tempered by the lessons learned.

While we are not always in control, and there will be times when we are completely powerless to resist outside influences, we do control our actions. Where we go from here is in our hands.

Learn to be comfortable with change and rise to new challenges.

In so doing, we unlock opportunities. p

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A C CIDE N T R E P OR T IN G

Vital Lessons Learned from our Industry’s Near-misses

IPAF’s updated accident reporting portal gathers specific information that can be used to help inform and update training courses and safety guidance. Analyzing this data including minor accidents and near misses - is helping to make work at height safer.

IPAF Member Accident Reporting Dashboard

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e learn from our mistakes. It’s as true for accidents working at height as for anything else. But IPAF is taking the process of learning from past failures to new heights with the recent relaunch of its accident reporting portal (www.ipafaccidentreporting.org).

Brian Parker, head of safety and technical for IPAF, explains that while the old accident reporting portal was helpful, the new one, launched in September 2020, makes significant improvements to the way in which data is collected.

“Previously, rental companies and operators could enter free text, and if that wasn’t aligned to something in one of the categories that the portal expected, then it would sit in ‘other.’ That meant you couldn’t draw such good conclusions,” he says.

The portal has been completely reorganized so that users are now prompted to choose from specific categories, which

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can help reveal the precise nature of an incident and who was involved. Users are asked a series of questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident: when and where it happened, who was using the machine, what the ground conditions were, the nature of any injuries or fatalities and who was hurt, whether users were trained or experienced, the type of machine involved, what sector the accident happened in, and even what the weather was like.

Splitting details about incidents into specific categories allows IPAF to slice and dice the data in several different ways. Accidents can be filtered by country, for example, or by type of incident, or even by accidents involving a certain type of machine.

“Where the portal comes alive is filtering,” says Parker. “It tells us where incidents are happening and gives insight into how they are happening.”

So far, the portal is collecting data from around 20 countries worldwide, mostly from IPAF members and representatives in certain countries, though users don’t have to be IPAF members – they can log in anonymously should they happen to be a concerned member of the public, for example.

The portal is also available in the nine core IPAF languages (English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish). Currently, reporting through the portal is mandated in the UK as a condition of achieving IPAF Rental+ standard to be a rental member, and Parker hopes that similar initiatives will be introduced to other countries.

Using Better Data to Inform Training Paul Roddis, IPAF training manager, is enthusiastic about how the

ANONYMIZED DATA This is about accident reporting, not an accident investigation.

IPAF does not need names and analysis, just the occupation of who was involved (i.e., operator, occupant, driver, etc.) and what occurred (like a news report). To address any concerns that individuals or companies might have about details of accidents they have suffered escaping into the public domain, data from the IPAF accident portal is published fully anonymized. It doesn’t name organizations, machines involved, or any individuals.

“All data is anonymized and sent to the Accident Working Group in a form where they can just look at the incidents,” says Parker. “I check all of the incidents to make sure they are genuine, and the Working Group does a sense check on what has been reported. This is members’ information and members’ money that has been invested in this portal and the database it generates – we want to make sure what we are doing here is for them and works to their benefit.” new portal is informing IPAF’s efforts to focus training where it is needed and improve the safety of the industry.

Information from the new portal has already revealed that most accidents during the delivery of MEWPs occur while loading or unloading, which led to an overhaul of the organization’s existing Load/Unload course, for example.

“We could see from our analysis that most accidents involved the delivery driver. We were also able to look at when incidents were happening, and it was most commonly during the loading or unloading and while ‘walking’ a MEWP. We have been teaching operators to walk a MEWP for a long time, but it wasn’t in the Load/Unload course,” says Roddis.

“We looked at the statistics and every incident we came across for walking a MEWP involved people loading and unloading, often in their own depot or yard. We should have been focusing on those people and now we have been able to change that. Being able to create an updated Load/Unload training course tailor-made to that type of person means it has become far more effective.”

Now Roddis is focusing his attention on promoting a new training course targeting site assessments, specifically relating to MEWP selection. “We have the MEWPs for Managers and MEWP Supervisor training course, which does talk about MEWP selection. But looking at the statistics, which show that falls from height are the greatest cause of fatalities year in, year out prompts the question: How do you fall from a MEWP? “When you think about it, if it is being used correctly, you can’t. Is this because people are climbing up because the machine doesn’t reach high enough since it is the wrong machine or in the wrong configuration?. Similarly, some machine overturns are a result of heavy machines on ground that can’t support it. It’s a case of using the data to see what is happening and then extrapolating that. We can now look at the whole range of things that are happening. That doesn’t so much provide answers, but it is at least leading us to ask the right questions.”

“This is how we learn from accidents,” adds Parker. “We might not like what we see, but if we don’t learn from the incidents we have, how are we going to make things better for the future?”

He is eager to ensure that as many IPAF members as possible report incidents to the portal, highlighting the fact that even if it appears from increased reporting that more incidents are taking place in the short term, in the longer term, it will lead to better analysis and ultimately to safer work at height. p

THE IMPORTANCE OF NEAR-MISSES The key to making analysis of data from the new portal as meaningful as possible is getting IPAF members, companies, and individuals to report not just serious incidents, but the near-misses too. “To be really effective, I need to know – and this is going to sound odd – what didn’t happen,” says Roddis.

“Things that nearly happened are, from my perspective, just as important as the things that did result in an accident. Unsafe acts occur even though they did not result in an accident. If incidents are occurring a lot but not very often injuring people, we could address those problems either directly through training or find out if it is something to do with the way in which MEWPs are being used. Without that data, we can only guess.”

For more information or to report an accident, go to www.ipafaccidentreporting.org

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F OC U S O N ME W P S

By Tony Groat, IPAF Nor th America Manager

Do You Have a MEWPSpecific Safe-Use Plan?

MEWP users vary greatly from the one-time user to the daily user. The one thing in common is the need for a safe-use program to ensure safe operation.

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EWP operator training is a critical component of safe and productive MEWP operations, but it is far from the only component users/employers must address to accomplish this result. MEWP users must supplement the requirements of industry safe-use standards by good job management, safety control, and the application of sound principles of safety, training, inspection, maintenance, repair, application, and operation, which are all consistent with data available regarding the parameters of intended use and expected environment.

The new U.S. ANSI A92.22 and Canadian CSA B354.7 safeuse standards call for MEWP users to develop a MEWP-specific safe-use program. The program will be a comprehensive safety plan that addresses all of the responsibilities of MEWP users and their personnel including MEWP supervisors, operators, occupants, and maintenance and service personnel. The following is a list of responsibilities that must be included in such a plan: • Performing a risk assessment • Developing a MEWP rescue plan • Selection of a suitable MEWP and work equipment • Access, preparation, and maintenance of the site, to include assessment that the support surface is adequate to support the weight of the MEWP

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• MEWP maintenance including inspection(s) and repairs • Only trained and authorized personnel are allowed to operate and/or occupy the MEWP • Provide model-specific familiarization to operators • Inform the operator of local site requirements, and warn and provide the means to protect against identified hazards in the areas where the MEWP will be operated • Have trained and qualified supervisor(s) to monitor the performance of the work of the operator to ensure compliance with provisions of this standard • Prevention of unauthorized use of the MEWP • Ensure the safety of persons not involved in the operation of the MEWP • Complete all documentation required If you are an employer of a MEWP operator, are all of the above tasks adequately addressed when your personnel are involved in a MEWP operation? Further consider that anytime a MEWP is operated by your employees for any purpose – loading, unloading, moving it on site, during training, maintenance, and service – are all these tasks applied and followed?

You may wonder if your company safety policy will adequately address this need. The answer is partially, but unlikely that a generic plan will address the unique and specific requirements for MEWPs. One example is that while MEWPs are manufactured with a guard-railed work platform, occupants of boom-type MEWPs are also required to use appropriate personal fall protection equipment (PFPE). Vertical, scissor-lift-type MEWPs do not specifically require PFPE to be worn. There are many unique requirements to address in a MEWP-specific safe-use plan that a general safety plan will not cover.

Proper Training, Risk Assessments Crucial Performing a site risk assessment can be universally applied to all tasks. The key element of a MEWP risk assessment is the knowledge required to adequately select the right MEWP for the task and work site conditions, and awareness of the hazards associated with their use with due consideration that these machines are carrying people at height. MEWPs are available in sizes that can fit into an elevator or machines than cannot be delivered without an

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F O C U S O N T E C HN OL O G Y

overwide load permit. Therefore, a qualified person is required to adequately perform a MEWP risk assessment.

A critical consideration in both the risk assessment and site preparation is the acknowledgement that the ground surface is adequate to support the weight of the MEWP. A MEWP can weigh multiple times the weight of a car and the configuration of the MEWP (location of the platform from the chassis – height and reach) can result in more than/in excess of 50 percent of the total weight being on one tire or outrigger pad. Based on the allowable grade of a MEWP, configuration, load in the platform, and other factors (such as weather, etc.), a MEWP can become unstable if not managed properly. Proper planning is critical.

Having selected a well-designed and properly serviced MEWP is also not the only factor to ensure safe MEWP operations.

Having qualified persons authorized in their operation is equally important. A MEWP operator must be adequately trained as defined in industry standards to include both classroom (or online) theory knowledge and hands-on practical knowledge.

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After being trained, operators must receive model-specific familiarization on the MEWP controls and operating characteristics of the machine they will be using. Even if trained and familiarized, the MEWP operator must be assessed to determine if they are qualified for the task. The MEWP supervisor must consider the experience, complexity and level of risk of the task and site conditions, and other potential factors when assessing the MEWP operator’s qualifications.

The MEWP operator has limitation as to their knowledge and experience, which means an employer requires a MEWP supervisor. The supervisor must be trained to be knowledgeable regarding the rules, regulations, and standards that apply to MEWPs, the potential hazards associated with use of MEWPs and the means to protect against identified hazards, and the necessity for the operator to be aware of the requirements in the manufacturer’s operation manuals.

Worksites often validate the unwritten law that “anything that can go wrong, will.” MEWP supervisors must be qualified to manage any issues that arise, starting with prevention.

A MEWP-specific safe-use plan is the road map for personnel safe-work procedures, including any contingencies required, in carrying out the identified tasks. While accident prevention is in the plan, you must be equally prepared to implement rescue at height.

Site-Specific Requirements and More

MEWP operation is safe for the workers and those exposed to the operation.

To assist MEWP users being aware of and fulfilling their responsibilities, IPAF has developed a guide to assist in the development of a MEWP-specific safe-use program for their company. Be assured that it is all too easy to miss or forget something that may be critical to good planning. See www.ipaf. org/resources for more information. p

Site-specific requirements are a good example of requirement that must be considered in a safe-use program. Often a site will have requirements that go beyond known regulations and standards or include specialized requirements that ‘outsiders’ would not be aware of. While the use of PFPE is only required in boom-type lifts in the U.S., there will be sites that require their use on all MEWPs in operaMEWP Tires by Trident tion. While many MEWPs are drivable, driving on or alongside a Comprehensive Tire Solutions for Boom Lifts | public road even Rough Terrain Scissors | Telehandlers | Scissor Lifts for short distances poses hazards that must be planned for, even if this will only Ex Stock availability of Tires, Wheels & be during loading and unloading.

Assemblies for all makes and models MEWPs remain on site and provisions must be in place to protect them from unauthorized use. Different site locations may pose Ready to Fit Solid Tire & Wheel Assemblies quite different exposure from unauthorized use, such as public spaces (malls, parking Ready to Fit Foam Filled Assemblies lots, schools) or near roadways and sidewalks.

Non-marking Wheels for Scissor Lifts Protecting from unauthorized use may require different strategies from removing the key to Consolidated Shipments disconnecting the battery after use – but planning for all contingencies must be in your Wheel Exchange Program safe-use program.

MEWP users vary greatly from the onetime user to the daily user of the equipment and everything in between. Where the MEWPs are used, the task being performed, the actual MEWPs in operation, the site conditions, and so on will all vary significantly G7, Jejuri MIDC, Purandar, Pune 412 303, INDIA from one operation to the next. The one Phone : +91 20 71199100, Fax : +91 20 71199199 thing in common is the need for the MEWP Email : salesteam@trident-intl.com user (the employer of the MEWP operator) to have a safe-use program in place to address the scope and needs to ensure the

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IPAF Elevating Safety 2021

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ON T HE JOB

PAL Cards Enter the Digital Age The launch of the IPAF ePAL mobile app for PAL card holders features a digital PAL Card, logbook, and more for users of powered access equipment.

Peter Douglas, IPAF CEO, and Søren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit, explain why this initiative was key.

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f you were to stack the 170,000 plastic PAL Cards IPAF issued in 2019 one on top of the other (assuming you had the patience and the skill), it would create a tower 425-feet high.

That’s higher than even the tallest MEWPs can reach and partially explains why IPAF decided to bring its globally recognized operator license card into the digital age.

When joining IPAF as chief executive and managing director in December 2019, Peter Douglas moved the idea of digitalizing the PAL Card to the top of the agenda. In Q2 2021, despite more than a year of disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, that vision has become a reality with the creation and roll out of the ePAL Mobile App. It will be available in North America from early 2022.

“Our main aim is to improve safety in our industry,” says Douglas. “But having this app will improve other things as well, certainly in terms of sustainability and greater efficiency in certifying our training program.”

Discussions about the concept and what members wanted began in early 2020. The pandemic meant it was put on pause for several months, but it gathered speed again through the second half of 2020, as digitalization accelerated throughout the world.

IPAF has worked in partnership with member firm Trackunit, a Denmark-based tracking systems specialist, to develop the app and the platform on which it is based. But – and this is a point that Douglas and Søren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit, are both keen to stress – IPAF retains ownership of ePAL. Trackunit’s role is to help develop the platform and the app that sits on top of it (see sidebar).

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Important App Features The first release of the app, which is available on iOS and Android, is broken down into three main sections: Experience, Training, and Safety. The Training section holds a digital version of the PAL Card and other IPAF training qualifications, which can easily be shared with site supervisors or anyone who needs to view or verify it. It also holds details of the training company that provided the operator’s training. The app will have the capability to remind operators when their license is coming up for renewal and prompt them to contact the training center.

Operators with existing physical PAL Cards will be able to enter their details to obtain their digital card or simply touch the card to their mobile device to have their digital card created automatically if their phone has nearfield communication (NFC) technology.

The Experience section of the app is the one IPAF believes will be used most often. It essentially replaces the physical experience logbook, which Douglas concedes often ends up wasting away in a desk drawer or glove compartment. It is a tool to document familiarization and operational experience of the operator that can be used when evaluating the need for retraining.

MEWP operators will be able to select which type of machine they are working on before recording the time spent on it. “With the app, it will be much easier for operators to log their time on a particular machine and that will help to build a better picture of their equipment experience, which they can then show to contractors when they are on site,” he explains.

It will also generate anonymized information to show IPAF how frequently different types of machines are used, how much time is spent on them, and in what country, which IPAF hopes will inform better industry safety initiatives over time.

The app will be linked to IPAF’s accident reporting portal, updated last year to make for an improved reporting process and user experience (see page 16 for more). When it comes to the Safety section of the app, there will be a feed of tailored content aimed at the operator.

“It will be informed by all the things we know can go wrong on sites. It will reinforce the messages that we get from our accident reporting portal, using our Andy Access posters, technical guidance documents, and Toolbox Talks,” says Douglas.

“We will also be reminding people of the importance of doing daily checks, the importance of looking after batteries, of wearing the correct PPE, and fall-arrest devices – all the things that you would expect to enhance safety and productivity when working at height,” he adds.

The First Step on a Long Journey Douglas hopes the launch will meet with an enthusiastic reception. A recent survey of 1,200 operators by IPAF found that 98 percent said they would download and use an app. “That was an incredible response,” Douglas says.

“We didn’t think it would be anywhere near that if we are being honest. We are not kidding ourselves that we will get to 98 percent take-up overall straight away, but that was a really strong response, and we feel we are producing something that will grow and grow.”

Currently, there are around 800,000 valid PAL Cards in circulation, with 150,000-170,000 due for renewal in a ‘normal’ year. By default, operators renewing their license will download the app to obtain their electronic refreshed PAL Card, logbook, and IPAF’s operating safety guide. IPAF won’t stop making physical cards available, but those who want one will have to pay an additional fee.

Initially, the app will be in English before being rolled out in other languages. Meanwhile, the organization has a contract with Trackunit for ongoing development. “Over time, the app will be able to offer contactless access control over the phone,” says Brogaard.

“The way to look at this is that, on this platform, we will build applications and solutions, access control being one, the logbook experience record and ability to directly communicate safety information being another. It is the first step on a long journey. We aren’t expecting an industry that hasn’t traditionally worked in a digital way to go digital overnight. It will take four or five years. With the help of manufacturers, contractors, and rental companies, we have a platform on which we can build experiences and apps, and the IPAF ePAL app is the first expression of that.”

Douglas is eager to see pre-use inspection be incorporated

EPAL: AN APP FOR THE MEMBERS,

BY THE MEMBERS IPAF’s Peter Douglas is hopeful that powered access manufacturers and users will get involved in making decisions about the direction the ePAL app takes. “Ultimately, if we can get all of the different types of telematics that are out there on all the different manufacturers’ machines to use one format that everyone is in agreement with, then we can take this to the next level,” he says. “Trackunit is not helping us to create this for any other reason than that they want to help the industry.”

He continues, “Our main aim is to improve safety in our industry, but having this app will improve other things as well, certainly in terms of sustainability and greater efficiency in certifying our training program.”

Trackunit’s Søren Brogaard agrees. “The platform is being built with IPAF for IPAF. We don’t own the system. We are stepping into this because we see that this has a direct relation to the elimination of downtime for operators, machines, and the industry in general. We don’t have an advantage here and other companies have equal access to use this platform just like we do.”

Likening the platform to ‘opensource’ software, he adds: “This is a platform where competitors can come together to build something for general use and the benefit of a higher purpose.”

You see that the world over in opensource platform environments.

OEMs are a big part of the equation in terms of adopting this platform towards their access control systems. The rental companies can play an important role, too, by using it in their training centers.

“It will take time. IPAF has made a brave decision to go out and do this. The card has been working perfectly; they could have just kept doing this for the next 10 years, but they are eager to move things forward.” in the future, as well as machine familiarization videos. He sees potential for a site-survey tool that allows users to determine what machine they should use, which will help cut down on accidents caused because the wrong type of MEWP was selected.

He is also excited by the environmental benefits of cutting down on all those pieces of plastic, paper logbooks, and the carbon emissions associated with their distribution. “All of it can be put into a neat app that you put on your smartphone – technology that almost everyone has in their pocket,” he says.

Key Benefits of the ePAL App: • Direct communication of training and safety messages to operators • Accurate, up-to-date experience logbook information • Reduction in plastic, paper, administrative work, and CO2 emissions • Simple and easy to use • Reliable proof of operator qualifications and experience p

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O N T HE HOR I Z O N

By Bal Guerrero

Investing in IPAF for MUTUAL BENEFIT

Offering help complying with industry standards, exclusive access to a world-leading training program, and more, IPAF membership offers a fantastic return on investment.

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PAF is a global not-for-profit association that serves members around the world, focused on the safe and effective use of powered access equipment. One of the core areas of effort is the harmonization of industry standards for the design, safe-use, and training associated with this equipment.

Harmonized standards are of value to every industry stakeholder and having your voice considered in their development is of value to your business. MEWP design, safe-use, and training standards can and do impact your company’s bottom line. IPAF is directly involved in the development of standards, carrying the voice of its members for consideration by those who are drafting updates and planning implementation of standards.

The new MEWP standards in the U.S. and Canada have made significant changes in the responsibilities for industry stakeholders. With staff members who are on the standards development committees, members have access to those most familiar with the details they need to be familiar with their responsibilities and guidance on how to meet them. Unlike talking to your attorney, members will not get an invoice at the end of the call!

IPAF can leverage all this expertise, lessons learned, and industry safe practices captured over the years into the development of training courses, with the collaboration of industry experts from around the world, to produce the most effective training available for operators and supervisors.

The IPAF training program addresses methods and guidelines to prepare MEWP training materials, administrative criteria, and elements required to deliver training. The theory components of training are developed for either instructor-led or remote online eLearning to allow training to occur at a time, place, pace, and convenience of the trainee. IPAF’s goal is to assist users in meeting their responsibilities for safe operations.

Beyond the industry regulations and standards, IPAF develops technical guidance and collects industry data to support business decisions. IPAF has been compiling and analyzing MEWP rental market data for many years. The award-winning IPAF rental market reports, produced by DuckerFrontier, are the definitive guide to the powered access rental markets. With key facts and figures such as fleet size, utilization rate, and retention period, they help senior management plan for future investments.

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IPAF tracks powered access accident data gathered through its worldwide accident reporting project, which has incident reporting from 25 countries around the globe. It is vital that IPAF capture the data and analyze the resulting statistics to see what trends are occurring and to influence regulations and standards, adapt training programs, and develop safety awareness campaigns.

Need more value from IPAF? Consider the many opportunities to network with other industry professionals both regionally and internationally. With membership composed of manufacturers, rental companies, training companies, contractors, and users, the exposure to new people and ideas is priceless. Aside from the business connection, many life-long friendships are made.

IPAF also raises awareness on key issues and industry topics through their endless safety campaigns. The Andy Access Safety posters and corresponding Toolbox Talks are examples of how IPAF is constantly communicating valuable learning outcomes, reinforcing key messages covered in training programs.

Want more benefits than just listening or reading expert subject matter information? Then consider the many opportunities to become directly involved through councils, committees, and working groups. You can get as involved as much or as little as your time and heart desires. It is certainly a worthwhile investment.

Consider how IPAF can add value to your company and become a member today. Visit www.ipaf.org/en-us/become-member for more. p

E DUC AT IO N

By Tony Groat, IPAF Nor th America Manager

Positive Association: SAIA and IPAF Alliance Grows When SAIA and IPAF join forces, they leverage their shared expertise to enhance the safe use of powered access equipment.

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rade associations serve to protect and promote the interest of their members, take on keys issues, develop actions to raise awareness and educate members, and leverage the strength of the collective, to be the voice for many in the industry.

Those benefits are doubled when associations work together for the mutual benefit of their members and industry. This year, IPAF and the Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA) signed an agreement to work together to promote safety and training in powered access throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

While the associations have worked together in the past, the goal is to develop cooperation and coordination among members.

This alliance agreement will be part of each association’s ongoing strategies to leverage the strengths of each for the benefit of all members.

The agreement will focus on joint promotion of industry standards, including the updated A92 Suite of Standards that went into effect in the U.S. in June 2020, as well as sharing knowledge and disseminating good practices, informing and influencing national safety and regulatory bodies with a unified voice, and promoting the need for effective powered access operator and supervisor training.

Both SAIA and IPAF offer technical expertise regrading equipment to place workers at height to accomplish various task using all types of scaffold systems, mast climbers, transport platforms, hoist, and MEWPs. Working safely at height is a common focus for all of this equipment and will be a common goal of the alliance.

An immediate outcome of the alliance is SAIA’s adoption of the IPAF PAL Card training program as proof of appropriate operator training for users of MEWPs, MCWPs, transport platforms, and hoists. IPAF-approved training centers and SAIA-accredited training institutes (ATIs) will offer IPAF’s globally recognized training, developed by leading industry professionals and available in multiple languages to suit local demand.

SAIA encouraged their ATIs to add the IPAF MEWP operator training course to their offerings and four immediately signed up. Using the IPAF MEWP operator online theory course, the ATIs attended a two-day MEWP evaluator course to enable their

personnel to become qualified evaluators for MEWP hands-on practical training and evaluations. Five candidates from ATI’s Stone Mountain, Turnkey, Trekker, and Safety Hawk are now approved IPAF evaluators.

“I was extremely impressed with the IPAF training course.

The eLearning portion of the program was one of the best that I have experienced in the industry, and I was surprised at the additional knowledge I took away from the class about MEWP’s.

IPAF’s senior instructors, Jeff and Amy, were genuinely concerned about getting the message of safety through to each of their students so they in turn could spread it through the industry,” says Micah Turner of Trekker Group, Florida.

SAIA ATIs had previously become IPAF-approved trainers to deliver MCWP operator training, which applies to all persons who will occupy the work platform and provides the basic understanding on how to safely work from the MCWP. The IPAF MCWP also has more detailed training for those who wish to become qualified to install MCWPs – a much more detailed course.

While support and promotion of industry standards and delivery of compliant training are obvious areas SAIA evaluator class of the alliance, the associations have many other areas to work together. One example is the SAIA Annual Convention, which is held Aug. 29 through Sep. 2. IPAF will coordinate the delivery of a second MEWP evaluator training two-day course, MEWP operator hands-on practical training, and a presentation with Kevin O’Shea on “User Need to Develop MCWP and MEWP Safe Use Programs.”

There is no doubt that alliance, collaboration, and focus on member and industry benefits will see an increase in the activities and events where SAIA and IPAF join forces in the future, leveraging their shared expertise to enhance the safe and effective use of scaffold and powered access equipment. p

www.ipaf.com

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IPAF Elevating Safety 2021

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F OC U S O N MC W P S

By Greg S trid, general manager of Mastclimbers LLC, an Atlanta rental and training company.

IPAF Training – A Safety Risk Management Advantage Gone are the days – thankfully – when mast-climbing work platforms (MCWPs) and construction hoists were installed, and the contractor received the keys without a thought about training or supervision. Here’s why IPAF training is the only way to go.

E

ighteen years ago, Mastclimbers LLC, in Atlanta, formed the first IPAF training center in North America. It’s the only active training center devoted specifically to training operators and installers of mast-climbing work platforms (MCWPs), construction hoists, and transport platforms. We have two in-house senior IPAF instructors, two IPAF instructors, and one trainer – an above-industry-average ratio of safety professionals to workers, especially for a rental company with only 40 employees.

Mastclimbers LLC has the reputation for doing the jobs no one else can or wants to do. But we take on the challenges to earn the big jobs everyone wants. In the old days, the customer told us to “put it up over there – we need it tomorrow.” Needless to say, times have changed. Pre-install protocol now requires detailed contracts including documented plans, drawings, and schedules, stamped engineering, sub and general contractor planning meetings, job hazard analysis, job-site-specific safety plans, drug screenings and background checks, training certification verification, and on-site safety orientations. Our customers have an army of staff equipped with technology to document every step of the way.

If the pre-COVID economic expansion in the U.S. did anything, it gave companies plenty of cash to hire welleducated safety professionals to adhere to and monitor safe-use practices in our industry.

Some will say that all this scrutiny slows the schedule. It may seem that way, but nothing destroys schedules and creates second-guessing like an accident, or worse, a fatality on a jobsite.

Safety training and equipment inspections have become more and more a priority. That’s why we use the IPAF curriculum and training program for our own people and our customers. The days

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IPAF Elevating Safety 2021

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www.ipaf.com

of saying, “Do you know how to use this? Ever been on one of these before? Here are the keys…” are long gone.

A few years ago, a seasoned OSHA director spoke at a function IPAF hosted in Atlanta. He said that when he gets a trainer on the witness stand in a litigation, he looks for three things: How qualified is the trainer? How long did he or she spend with the person he or she was training? And did the person being trained understand the training in their native language?

Our IPAF training addresses all three. IPAF trainers and instructors are not only trained but also have to meet a pre- and post-qualification process including documented experience, as well as a series of interviews by IPAF technical experts, to qualify.

The technical curriculum and the practical evaluation mandated

by IPAF is a four-hour process for operators and a 40-hour process for installers. This is twice as much time as other programs we’ve seen in the market. We train bilingually and present the IPAF slides side-by-side in both English and Spanish.

One of the best inspectors of tower cranes in our neck of the woods once told me that his motto is, “It’s either right or it’s not!”

That stuck with me. OSHA law, ANSI standards, and manufacturers’ guidance is a relatively finite universe. Vagueness is not the reality. If and when changes to any of the three occur, we have to know and adjust.

The folks at IPAF, who created our training programs for MCWPs and construction hoists, are experts from all over the world, who sit on the various standard committees and/or represent manufacturers of our equipment. If, God forbid, we were being investigated for an accident, we don’t have to say our training was put together by “two men in a truck.” The integrity of the IPAF training stands on its own; since 1983 created and scrutinized by dedicated experts globally.

The way we look at it, safety is essential to the health and wellbeing of our valued employees and customers, especially when working at height. And having a safety training and inspection program created and audited by a third-party organization such as IPAF is a valuable risk management tool in commercial construction.

Be safe and make today count! p

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