Around 450 industry professionals gathered at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, London, on March 10 to honor the winners of the International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs). As well as announcing and celebrating category winners, event participants heard that next year the ceremony will be hosted in Berlin.
Jointly organized by Access International and International Powered Access Federation, the IAPAs celebrate best practice and excellence in the powered access industry. The event was the first time the event was held in the U.K. since 2017 and marked a return to in-person format after a three-year hiatus owing to the pandemic. Those assembled celebrated the following winners:
IPAF Training Instructor of the Year - PHIL DRAYTON, Nationwide Platforms, U.K.: Over the past two years, Drayton demonstrated his dedication to the industry by leading the company’s Covid training response and ensuring training centers were safe to provide face-to-face activities as soon as possible, among a range of other achievements.
IPAF Training Center of the Year - AST, Germany: AST had been singled out by IPAF as a top-performing training center in 2021 – an achievement in itself – but the company also introduced a range of initiatives, including the development of a virtual reality (VR) simulator training program.
Access Photograph of the Year, sponsored by Media Access Solutions (MAS) - DANIEL OLIVER, U.K.: Oliver was working for Paraplatforms when he took an inspiring shot of a Hinowa Lightlift 17.75 PIIIS working at the Natural History Museum in London. It is being used to clean and check the anchor points of Hope, a 25.2m-long blue whale skeleton hanging from the celling of the museum.
Contribution to Safe Working at Height - NATIONWIDE PLATFORMS, U.K.: The UK rental company’s range of safety initiatives was outstanding, including virtual knowledge sharing and training during the pandemic; the introduction of digital pre-use checks; and a remote assistance chat facility to help tackle technical safety issues.
Product of the Year – Mast Climbing Work Platforms/Construction Hoists - FRACO MANUFACTURING, Spain, Torgar PL-20 EXT 2V transport platform: The judges were impressed with the interchangeability of components and the large number of options for a single machine.
Product of the Year – Scissor Lifts and Vertical Masts -- JLG, U.S., for its DaVinci all-electric scissor lift: The judges described it as an all-electric scissor with zero hydraulics, and a machine that maintains full productivity even as the battery is depleted. They also liked the platform’s ability to recover energy as its lowers.
Product of the Year – Vehicle/trailer-mounted -- DINOLIFT, Finland, for the 230VTH hybrid truck mount: The judges praised the platform’s all-electric operation and compactness, combined with an impressive working envelope, making it an ideal rental solution.
Product of the Year – Self-propelled booms & Atrium lifts -- JLG, U.S., for the 670SJ self-levelling boom: The judges highlighted the machine’s self-levelling chassis that automatically adapts on slopes of up to 10 degrees in any direction, while driving at its full height of 20.4 meters.
Digital Development -- SERIOUS LABS, Canada, for its VR simulator PAL Card conversion: The judges praised its program to create a scenario within its existing MEWP VR simulator to allow an operator to renew their PAL Card, with the exact same elements as renewing it on a real MEWP.
Innovative Technology -- CTE, Italy, for its S3 EVO stability system: This system, developed entirely by CTE, continuously monitors the platform configuration to provide flexibility of movement and ease of use.
Access Rental Company of the Year -- JOLY LOCATION, France: Joly’s entry was based on its work helping to restore the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Judges were impressed by the range of equipment and expertise provided, including large truck mounts and spider lifts.
The Sustainability Award -- RIWAL, Netherlands, for its Lifting Sustainability strategy: Riwal’s strategy encompasses many initiatives blended to create a new mindset in the company across internal communications, product development, regeneration initiatives and a circular economy approach to all its workflows.
IPAF/Access International Lifetime Achievement Award CHRIS WRAITH, U.K., independent powered access health & safety professional: Wraith has dedicated much of his working life to improving a promoting safety and good practice in the MEWP industry. Between 1996 and 2000 he was senior training instructor at Nationwide Access, updating courses and helping to develop IPAF’s MEWPs for Managers training course. As a long-serving committee member at IPAF, he also helped to develop the federation’s Safe Loading & Unloading training course.
In 2005 he became safety, health & environmental advisor at Nationwide Access and in 2008 took on the role of U.K. QHSE Manager at Lavendon Access Services. In 2011, he joined IPAF as technical & safety executive, where he worked with national and international bodies to influence developments in the safe design and use of MEWPs and to promote the objectives of IPAF and its members. He liaised with enforcement authorities worldwide, working towards a common goal of zero injuries within the industry. In addition, he helped to devise and manage IPAF’s accident reporting portal.
In his career he has led international working groups and committees focusing on driving improvements in the powered access industry. He has conducted research, developed reports and written educational material to improve safety, health, quality and the environment in the access industry, and was honored by the U.K. Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for his work creating the popular Andy Access character and associated series of safety awareness posters.
Chris left IPAF in 2018 to continue to pursue his passion for MEWP safety as director of consultancy firm Access Safety Management. He still serves on several IPAF committees, including the International Safety Committee, and was also first to sign up to the IPAF Safety Professional member category, launched in 2021.
The independent, impartial judging panel spent a full day considering the record number of entries received for the 2022 edition of the awards. The judges made decisions based on the merit of each entry and were excluded from entering their company for any award.
IPAF and KHL would like to thank the 2022 judges:
- Nico Krekeler, head of design and development at Ruthmann Holdings, and chairman, Ruthmann Italia;
- Michel Petitjean, secretary general of the European Rental Association;
- Paolo Pianigiani, commercial director, IMER Group;
- Andy Studdert, independent corporate director and past president of IPAF, formerly CEO of NES Rentals;
- Jonathan Till, owner of UK independent access equipment rental company GTAccess, and member of the IPAF UK Country Council; and
- Euan Youdale, editor of Access International magazine (non-voting chair).
