Jordan Barab

A senior US safety regulator has commended those in the aerial work business for taking safety seriously and commitment to work with stakeholders on the issue of fall protection.

Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary of labour with a major role for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), says 255 deaths occurred from falls in construction in the US in 2011.

Barab spoke on 26 March at the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) summit in Miami.

IPAF statistics say about 20 US fatalities annually involve aerial work platforms.

"The people in this room can help reduce those fatalities by getting the right equipment to people doing temporary work at height," Barab says. "You in the room are part of the solution. By being here, you are committing to safety."

OSHA with its "fall prevention campaign" is working through US agencies such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and other stakeholders and partners including trade associations, labour unions, employers, universities, community and faith-based organisations, consulates and other nations.

In a summit keynote address, Ronald DeFeo, chairman and chief executive officer of Terex Corp, discussed the company's zero tolerance policy and focus on getting employees home safely.

Michael Kneeland, president of United Rentals Inc, suggested that rental businesses adopt similar policies, talked about "the rental company of the future" and expressed support for IPAF as an organisation that "challenges us and brings fresh ideas".

Andrew Studdert, chairman and CEO of NES Rentals Holdings Inc, presented an eLearning module that NES has developed with IPAF as part of the AWPT operator training program. More than 1,000 people have used the module for training. Addressing Barab's call to help "vulnerable workers" with limited English proficiency, IPAF has committed to make the eLearning module available in Spanish by June 2013.

Studdert noted that of the more than 460,000 powered access licence (PAL) cards worldwide, very few were issued in the US. Studdert challenged the US aerial industry to work towards a target of 30,000 new PAL cards in 2013 using the new eLearning module.

Tim Hatch, vice president of global engineering at JLG Industries Inc, examined the impact of Tier 4 engines.
CEO Tim Whiteman, CEO of Crooklands, England-based IPAF, presented preliminary findings from the federation's powered access rental market reports and, for the first time, gave an IPAF estimate of the worldwide rental fleet size: around 950,000 units.

Sérgio Kariya, managing director of the rental division of Mills Estruturas e Serviços de Engenharia SA in Brazil, featured a graph by mining company Vale that indicated a direct link between IPAF aerial operator training and reduced accidents.

IPAF's next summit will be held on 3 April 2014 in Windsor, England.

International Awards for Powered Access

In a related Miami event, the International Awards for Powered Access were presented to:
* Harry McArdle, lifetime achievement award, founder of Height for Hire and Easi Uplifts of Ashbourne, Ireland and an early entrepreneur taking access seriously as a rental business
* Rafael Bazzarella of Skyjack Inc, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, IPAF training instructor of the year
* Sheet Metal Workers 33, Cleveland, Ohio, US district Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, best new IPAF training centre of the year
* Mastclimbers LLC of Grayson, Georgia, US, best marketing campaign for safety and IPAF training
* Paul Tynan of Summit Tower Hire Pty Ltd of Brendale, Queensland, Australia, access photograph of the year for an image of a Bronto Skylift S70-XDT at the Macarthur Wind Farm under construction in Macarthur, Victoria, Australia
* Scanclimber Oy of Pirkkala, Finland, mast climbing work platforms and hoists for its SC8000 Eiffel transport platform
* ReechCraft Inc of Fargo, North Dakota, US, low-level access product for its portable Powerlift
* Ruthmann GmbH & Co. KG of Gescher-Hochmoor, Germany, vehicle/trailer-mounted vehicle, for its Steiger T 540 truck mount
* Cormidi Srl of Roccadaspide, Italy, self-propelled product, for the KB-X
* Independent Parts & Service Ltd of Telford, England, outstanding after-sales service
* AFI-Uplift Ltd of West Bromwich, England, contribution to safe working at height, for the Sanctuary Zone anti-entrapment device
* Kevin O'Shea of Mastclimbers, IPAF safety champion, for presenting his safety awareness seminar to OSHA employees in 20 US cities during 2012
* Peter Douglas of Nationwide Platforms of Lutterworth, England, highly commended in IPAF safety champion category
* Scanclimber, access project of the year for providing mast climbing equipment to help refurbish the first floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
* Industrial Access SA of Jilava, Romania, access rental company of the year, for taking a leading role in an emerging market.