FEDERATION CELEBRATES FOUR DECADES OF REPRESENTING POWERED ACCESS SECTOR

MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF IPAF – the International Powered Access Federation – have been invited to share their industry memories, featuring favourite moments, innovations and influential people from the past four decades, as part of the federation’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

IPAF officially launched its 40th anniversary celebrations at the IPAF Summit in Berlin in April by screening a short film featuring reminiscences from IPAF CEOs past and present, including IPAF’s founder Paul Adorian who has published a memoir, Don’t Look Down, about his life in powered access.

Meanwhile, 16-17 November have been confirmed as the dates for IPAF Elevation 2023 to take place at the Belfry Hotel and Resort in the West Midlands. The event will bring together the IPAF community in celebration of this special year and will include a networking lunch, a half-day conference, a drinks reception, a gala dinner with entertainment and a special par or spa option the following day.

IPAF has also announced it has reviewed and modified its mission to ‘promote the safe and effective use of powered access’, to ensure it is still relevant after 40 years.

Peter Douglas, CEO and managing director of IPAF, said: “While we think it is still absolutely relevant, we’ve updated it with the addition of the word ‘enable’, as we feel this better reflects the work IPAF does in 2023. So, our updated mission is to ‘promote and enable the safe and effective use of powered access worldwide’.

“In terms of helping IPAF to celebrate this very auspicious year in our history we would be delighted if you can join us later this year at the Belfry for Elevation 2023; and in the meantime we’d love to hear your key memories from across the past four decades in powered access. Simply post on your preferred social media platform using the hashtag #IPAF40. IPAF will share these and feature a selection of your memories at IPAF events throughout 2023.”

Over the past 40 years, IPAF’s membership has risen to more than 1,650 members worldwide, expanding to 80 territories. IPAF has launched a range of global targeted safety campaigns, based on data collected via the IPAF Accident Reporting portal.

The campaigns promote awareness of specific hazards involved in operating MEWPs and aim to significantly reduce the most common types of accidents, such as falls from the platform, electrocutions, entrapments and MEWP overturns. q found over 80% of the ladders re-tested claimed to be compliant with product standard EN 131 – but not one of the products met the standard.

As things stand, online marketplaces selling products supplied by thirdparty sellers have no responsibility to prevent unsafe goods being sold on their platforms and no legal obligation to inform consumers if they have purchased unsafe goods. That gives rogue manufacturers and suppliers based anywhere in the world free rein to sell unsafe – and in worst cases deadly – products direct to unsuspecting consumers in the UK. In many cases no checks are being made at all before consumers receive the products and use them at home.

The Ladder Association points out that working at height can be risky enough, without the additional danger of poor-quality ladders: every 11 minutes in the UK someone attends A&E after sustaining an injury involving a ladder. A fall from height can cause life changing injury, and in some cases, can even be fatal.

Peter Bennett OBE, executive director of the Ladder Association, commented: “The Ladder Association is calling for the government to step in urgently to make regulatory changes to hold suppliers and online platforms accountable for ensuring the products they sell are compliant and safe to use…if you think the ladder is unsafe or dangerous don’t use it!” q