The document, Safe Use of MEWPs in Public Areas, has been developed by IPAF in response to the frequency of unplanned incidents that occur when boom and scissor lifts are used outside the controlled confines of a factory warehouse or construction site.
“An increasing number of MEWPs are being used in areas where members of the public might be present, which is more challenging to control, ie not always segregated from unrelated work activities, vehicular traffic or the general public,” said Brian Parker, IPAF’s head of safety & technical.
Sunbelt Rentals health & safety director Mark Keily chairs IPAF’s international safety committee. He said: “IPAF incident data for 2019 and 2020 indicates that approximately one third of all reported fatal or injury incidents occurred in an environment that would be classed as public areas and highways. This is consistent with data from previous reports covering 2016-2018.
“This new Safe Use of MEWPs in Public Areas document is intended to highlight the relevant hazards and associated risks when a MEWP is to be used in public areas, which are often more challenging to control than other work sites.
“It also identifies measures that can be implemented to eliminate or reduce the risk of an incident or injury when using a MEWP in locations where public and/or vehicles are not prohibited – by which we mean not on fixed construction sites or defined commercial premises. We urge all users of MEWPs in these settings to view and download a copy without delay, free of charge.
“We hope it will be of particular use to those who are planning or operating in sectors that frequently or exclusively utilise MEWPs in public areas, including telecoms and utilities, public-sector contractors, highways/street-lighting engineers, facilities/commercial premises management, tree care and arboriculture.”
The document is available to view or download, free of charge, in digital format from www.ipaf.org/resources. It is also available print-ready so organisations can produce their own hard copies if they wish.
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