The International Powered Access Federation Safety Zone at ConExpo (Booth SZ1000, West Blue Lot) will feature a dynamic demonstration on the dangers of not wearing a harness in boom-type platforms. The 15-minute show will run at regular intervals throughout the day and give practical advice on the correct way to use a harness. Show times are: 10 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2.p.m. and 4 p.m.
The IPAF Safety Zone will cover nearly 8,000 square feet and has been made possible with support from ConExpo organizers. The display will feature a range of aerial equipment supplied by IPAF members exhibiting at the show.
“We much appreciate the support of the organizers in making this happen,” said Tim Whiteman, Aerial Work Platform Training president and IPAF managing director. “It is frustrating when people are unnecessarily killed or injured while using boom-type platforms because they don’t wear harnesses. The demonstration will show in a vivid way the dangers of being thrown or catapulted from the platform if it is hit by another piece of equipment or is affected by ground subsidence.”
The live demonstration is part of AWPT’s Click It! safety campaign that calls on users of boom type platforms to wear a full-body harness with a short lanyard attached to a suitable anchor point. This advice is outlined in Technical Guidance Note AWPT H1, which explains when and how to wear harnesses and lanyards on different types of aerial platforms (available at www.awpt.org).
Safety and the correct use of harnesses and lanyards will also be a topic for discussion at several technical meetings being held at the IPAF booth during ConExpo. These include the AWPT instructors’ meeting, March 11 at 1:30 p.m.; the AWPT Advisory Council meeting, March 11 at 2:30 p.m.; and the IPAF Manufacturers’ Technical Committee meeting, March 12 at 2 p.m.
With the Click It! campaign, thousands of stickers in six languages have been printed for distribution. The stickers remind and encourage people to wear a harness and can be placed on boom-type platforms where all occupants in the platform can see them. The program is endorsed by the Scaffold Industry Association as well as many aerial equipment manufacturers and rental companies around the world.
IPAF is a not-for-profit members’ organization that promotes the safe and effective use of powered access equipment worldwide. Members include rental companies, manufacturers, distributors and equipment owners.
The IPAF training program for operators of mobile elevating work platforms is certified by TüV as conforming to ISO 18878. More than 70,000 people are trained each year through a worldwide network of more than 250 IPAF-approved training centers. Successful trainees are awarded the PAL Card, which is recognized in many countries as proof of platform operator training.
AWPT is the North American subsidiary of IPAF. In North America, the PAL Card is known as the Powered Access Licensed-Registration Card.
More information is available at www.awpt.org and www.ipaf.org.
