Mills rental division managing director gets PAL Card

Sérgio Kariya, managing director of the rental division of Mills Estruturas e Serviços de Engenharia SA in Brazil, has successfully completed operator training and obtained an IPAF PAL Card (Powered Access Licence).

"I very much enjoyed doing the IPAF training; it is really amazing and very useful," said Mr Kariya, "In the past, I have had other training and familiarisation with AWPs and it is now clear what the differences are and what makes the IPAF programme stand out. The IPAF training is very well organised and makes it simple to understand all the potential risks of operation. In the Brazilian market which is growing almost 40% per year, safety and training is mandatory."

Mills is the largest rental company in Brazil, one of the fastest growing AWP markets in the world. IPAF started making inroads into Latin America early last year, setting up an office in Chile, which is managed by IPAF representative Romina Vanzi. The Federation has quickly built up a base of about 15 members and 10 approved training centres, including Mills, which was the first to start IPAF training in Brazil. An IPAF Brazilian Country Council was established in June 2011, with the aim of implementing national activities that underpin and promote the safe use of powered access. The Brazilian Council is currently chaired by Marcelo Yamane, technical manager of Mills.

"It is superb that Sérgio chose to do the IPAF training and to lead by example," said IPAF Chief executive officer Tim Whiteman. "Congratulations to him on taking the time to do the course and on passing the test to join the thousands of people who hold a PAL Card."