Powered Access and the need for training

Cherry pickers, MEWPs, elevated access platforms, basket cranes—these are all terms you come across quite commonly in the construction and maintenance fields. Powered access is crucial in enabling workers reach hard-to-reach spots like high windows and points on structural glass facades.

MEWPs, or Mobile Elevated Work Platforms, include devices like Cherry Pickers, Scissor Lifts, Access Platforms or Aerial Platforms.

The one thing all these have in common, apart from their being incredible aids in the construction industry, is the risk of injury associated with them.

The Risks Involved

Operators working in a high basket run the risk of entrapment, which is the danger of getting stuck between the elevated platform and the fixed structure. When a worker gets pinned against his controls, steering the boom to safety may be out of the question.

Some heavy booms, especially the tall ones carrying heavy loads, run the risk of simply toppling over, or teetering on the verge of toppling. In both these cases, the operator is prone to getting thrown right out of his platform.

Other risks associated with powered devices include collision with bystanders (danger to the bystander) or with nearby buildings (danger to the MEWP).

The only way such risks can be eliminated, or at least reduced to a tolerable level, is by offering training to operators. This is done in an efficient manner by an organisation called the Internal Powered Access Federation, or IPAF.

An Organisation for training

The IPAF is a non-profit establishment that exists for the purpose of providing access training for operators, and for imparting crucial knowledge that can help reduce operational risks. This organisation, run by manufacturers, contractors, rental companies, and users, offers a training programme called the ‘IPAF Operation Course for Scissor Lift and Cherry Picker.’

By making use of this convenient 2-day program, operators can be informed about the various hazards involved with powered access devices and trained on ways to avoid them.

The IPAF licenses are available for the following categories:

Static Vertical - Not many devices in use today, replaced as they are by the PAV (Push Around Vertical Category)

Static Boom - Covers van-, truck-, and trailer-mounted devices which are indeed stationary when the boom is operational.

Mobile Vertical - Machines that can be driven around, and move straight up or down. Includes scissor and telescopic lifts.

Mobile Boom - Covers ‘cherry pickers’ that can be driven around, and can rotate all around when stationary (by means of boom).

This organisation has gone a long way in ensuring safety standards in powered access devices around the world, and it’s great for construction managers to ensure that operators are suitably licensed.