SAFETY CAMPAIGN
A CAMPAIGN EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING SAFELY TO AVOID FALLS FROM MOBILE ELEVATING WORK PLATFORMS (MEWPS) HAS BEEN LAUNCHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL POWERED ACCESS FEDERATION (IPAF)… IPAF launches ‘Don’t Fall for It!’ targeted safety campaign
A campaign emphasising the importance of working safely to avoid falls from Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) has been launched by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). The ‘Don’t Fall for It!’ safety campaign outlines the possible underlying causes of falls from the platform when using MEWPs, which almost always lead to serious injury or death. It offers key advice to mitigate the most common risks, as identified in IPAF’s incident reporting and analysis. Peter Douglas, CEO and MD of IPAF said, “The IPAF ‘Don’t Fall for It!’ safety campaign aims to instil safe working practices and remind operators and managers of positive steps they can take to reduce the risk of such incidents. The message is simple – select the correct machine, don’t take risks, don’t cut corners and wear the correct personal fall protection equipment in boom-type platforms.” Brian Parker, IPAF’s Head of Safety & Technical, added, “If you find yourself tempted to do something different to what you know is the right and proper way to work, or if ever asked to do something you think isn’t safe by a colleague or supervisor, then ‘Don’t Fall for It!’ Far better to think twice and save a life – whether it is a workmate’s or your own.”
Key points: Key points of guidance in the IPAF ‘Don’t Fall for It!’ safety campaign include: • Plan thoroughly – conduct a proper MEWP site assessment, select the correct machine for the work and use professionally trained operators and supervisors. • Know your machine – operators should be trained on the machine type they are using and familiarised on the specific model. Operators should assess that the machine is suitable for the task and conditions and adequate in terms of reach, articulation and load-bearing capacity. Machine knowledge includes whether personal fall protection equipment (PFPE) should be used. • Clip on – if personal PFPE is required, all occupants of the platform must attach their lanyard to the correct
anchor point. Ensure movement within the platform is possible while attached, and do not move the machine or elevate the platform until and unless all occupants are attached. • Set up and manoeuvre the machine/ platform effectively – occupants should never need to over-reach, unfasten PFPE, step or climb on guardrails or otherwise extend the safe working envelope of the platform. Ensure vertical MEWPs are positioned and repositioned as necessary to allow easy access to the area of work. • Stay inside the platform/attached – always stay inside the platform. Where there is a requirement for PFPE, you must wear it. Do not exit the platform at height; unclip/exit only on completion of work when lowered to the ground.
For more information on IPAF’s safety campaigns and links to technical guidance visit www.ipaf.org/safe or see www.ipaf.org/training and www.ipaf.org/resources for the full range of IPAF training courses and safety and technical guidance materials.
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