IPAF to Host Live Safety Demos at Intermat
January 31, 2006 — To promote safety and best practice use of aerial platform equipment, the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) announced it will host live safety demonstrations at Intermat 2006, which is scheduled April 24 to 29 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in France. The live shows will run regularly at IPAF Stand No. E9 E 010
Curious about the training, Intermat's Managing Director Valérie Queffelec recently spent a day at an IPAF training center and received her PAL card, showing she is competent to operate scissor lifts. Joining her during the training was Xavier Poncin, Intermat's sales director, who also worked with IPAF to draw up safety guidelines for access industry exhibitors and contractors at the show.
Also at Intermat, IPAF will launch the French version of the harness guidance note, which supports the idea that all persons going up in a boom-type platform wear a full body harness with an adjustable lanyard set as short as is possible. This is outlined in IPAF's Technical Guidance Note H1/05/05 Safety harnesses in mobile elevating work platforms, which was produced by representatives from rental companies and the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE). The harness guidance note is available in English and German, and is supported by the
“IPAF-France has prepared basic guidance on when and where to wear harnesses, and how to use them correctly,” said IPAF's French Representative, Bernard Volut. “A number of French rental companies are gearing up to offer platform operator training and this guidance will prove very useful.”
For more information on the IPAF, visit www.ipaf.org.
