MEWPS for Managers spreads through Europe

IPAF’s MEWPs for Managers training course is being launched around the world this year. Besides the UK and US versions, the course will now be available in German, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.

IPAF’s MEWPs (mobile elevating work platforms) for Managers course covers what managers need to know about using MEWPs on site, from planning the job and completing a risk assessment, to selecting the right equipment and mitigating all possible risks.

The one-day course for managers includes topics such as health and safety regulations, accident prevention and control, personal protection equipment, and pre-use checks and maintenance. The course is about planning, supervising and effectively managing the use of powered access, and not about operating equipment. It ends with a written test that candidates must pass in order to obtain a certificate.

The course is targeted at project managers, foremen and supervisors working in a broad range of industries such as construction, facilities management, retail, airports and arboriculture. Companies who have had their employees complete the MEWPs for Managers course include Balfour Beatty in the UK, Monsanto in the US, and Odebrecht in Brazil and Venezuela.

“The safe and effective use of powered access equipment starts at management level,” said IPAF CEO Tim Whiteman. “Quite often, the causes of MEWP accidents can be traced back to poor planning and management issues, rather than operator error or technical failure. MEWPs offer a very safe and efficient way to work at height, but managers need to be trained to plan the work and to select the right machine in order to make safe and productive use of the equipment.”