Mast climber course revamped
24 April 2008
IPAF has revised its mast climbing work platform (MCWP) course to offer a consistent, international and harmonised training programme that will make the equipment safer to use.
“The MCWP course was revised to allow for local regulations to be inserted with ease,” said Cameron Reid, chairman of the IPAF MCWP (UK & Ireland) Committee. “The terminology was internationalised – there are no specific references to manufacturers or their unique machine requirements. We have presented the course as a best practice guide.”
While the old course had six modules, the new course now has 28 smaller, bite–sized, simpler modules that are easy to deliver and assess. MCWP training covers the categories Mobile Operator, Demonstrator, Installer and Advanced Installer, each leading to the award of a PAL Card (Powered Access Licence). The User category does not require the issuing of a PAL Card. This is essentially an induction course conducted by a certified demonstrator. Users, those who work on MCWPs, are not required to have specific certification, but they must have a clear understanding of the machine’s operating controls.