IPAF introduces new health & safety category

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has launched a new type of membership, the Safety Professional member category, aimed at those in health & safety or related supervisory roles within powered access or wider end-use sectors.

The new membership category is aimed at individuals within larger organisations, including those employed by existing IPAF Member companies, and is a cost-effective way to benefit from the Federation and its activities, bringing benefits and increasing opportunities to receive direct updates from IPAF about safety and technical guidance, join exclusive webinars and events, and to engage directly with IPAF experts and fellow members.

The benefits of the new member package include free participation in exclusive safety professional events with leading speakers from the powered access industry, access to a private LinkedIn group to share knowledge and safety good practice, access to the members’ area of the IPAF website and the IPAF accident reporting portal members’ dashboard, plus a discounted subscription to a leading UK H&S publication.

Tailored category

Brian Parker, IPAF’s head of safety & technical, said, “This new category of membership is aimed at health & safety managers, supervisors or officers, indeed for anyone engaged in a safety role concerning the use of powered access and general issues concerning work at height safety.

“In my previous role at a large IPAF member hire and training company, I was tasked with managing and leading on health & safety strategy and protocols, and this category of individual membership would certainly have appealed to me and been a great help in my day-to-day work, not least in conveying safety messages to colleagues and the reporting and analysis of industry accident data.”

Peter Douglas, CEO & MD of IPAF, added,“This is something quite a few people have mentioned to me since I took up post in 2019, with many industry contacts saying they would like us to create a special individual membership category tailored to health & safety professionals within larger companies or perhaps suitable for those working on a consultancy basis within powered access or work at height safety.

“I’m very pleased we are now able to make the new category of membership available, and I look forward to speaking to interested parties about the opportunities and benefits it offers, beginning at Vertikal Days in Peterborough later this month.

“We believe that the new category is a great way for such individuals to keep up to date with the latest industry developments, safety information and guidance in the world of powered access, and to engage directly with IPAF and its members, whether that be receiving industry news, sharing advice on safety practice, assisting with the IPAF global accident reporting project or serving on an IPAF committee or working group.”

• If the applicant is employed by an existing IPAF member, a 50% discount on the new applicant’s membership fee is applied. For more information about the benefits of IPAF membership visit www.ipaf.org/join