UK contractors prefer IPAF's PAL+

UK contractors are encouraging training to PAL+ standard for steel errectors and net riggers.

At a recent meeting of Health & Safety Sub Group, the UK Contractors Group (UKCG) agreed that it would encourage steel erectors and net riggers working on UKCG sites to hold an IPAF PAL+ qualification from 1 January 2013. It also agreed to extend this to other trades for specific projects, on a risk-assessed basis.

PAL+ is an optional, additional one day of category-specific training for mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) for operators working in higher risk or challenging environments.

"UKCG members will encourage their supply chains to adopt the PAL+ training for key trades such as steel erectors and net riggers, and on a risk basis for specific projects, from January next year," said Mark Atkinson of construction, civil engineering and logistics company Clugston.

"PAL+ is a positive development. Candidates will need to be experienced operators and they will have over five hours of practical assessment on MEWPs."

IPAF developed the PAL+ training course in response to demand for training that better prepares MEWP operators for work in higher risk or challenging environments. PAL+ focuses on practical training and includes a short, compact theory session. It is intended to be more advanced, challenging and extensive than the PAL operator course, which meets all requirements for basic operator training.