All Standards Articles

Three new ISO standards on crane inspections aim to reduce the risk of accidents and property damage

One thing that will make a difference to safety in the Middle East is a new set of government operating requirements, which are likely to be introduced in the third quarter of 2009

Comprehensive training for all those working with cranes is an ideal most of us would sign up to. Despite this, the industry is still in catch up mode according to some training centres in the US and UK. Euan Youdale speaks to three of them

IPAF (the International Powered Access Federation) has produced guidance for second party inspection bodies that carry out periodic, in-service inspections of MEWPs (mobile elevating work platforms).

Accidents involving semi-automatic couplers (attachment hitches) in the UK have led to some new regulations banning their sale. Will the rest of Europe and the world follow the UK lead? Dan Gilkes reports for IRN.

Several manufacturers and dealers at the recent Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) convention and exposition in Denver, Colorado, were forecasting a rapid growth in sales of transport platforms in North America.

Safe use guidelines for users of MCWPs (mast climbing work platforms) in the US have been prepared by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) and Kevin O'Shea of Mastclimbers LLC with input from a number of interested organisations.

The movement towards standards for safe design and use of mast climbing work platforms seems to be accelerating, as well as benefiting from the industry's international orientation and history. Access International reports.

In light of the recent high incidence of crane-related accidents across the US, construction contractor Flintco, Inc. has a mandatory training programme for all its employees serving as signal persons and riggers

The UK's National Access & Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) is encouraging its members to anonymously "whistle blow" on principal contractors who continue to opt for non-regulated scaffolding companies.

The UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reported on the 2007 Liverpool tower crane accident and written to crane rental and supply companies in Great Britain about it

In an industry where trained aerial platform operators are a must, a 1999 ANSI standard on familiarization is making head waves

Safe use guidelines for users of MCWPs (mast climbing work platforms) in the US have been prepared by IPAF and Kevin O'Shea of Mastclimbers LLC with input from a number of interested organisations.

OSHA, the US government health and safety body, has advised the US mast climbing industry to develop its own standard for the design and use of mast climbing work platforms.

Kevin O'Shea, who leads the training activities of Mastclimbers LLC in Atlanta, Georgia, US, draws parallels in the US mast climbing market to that of the UK 10 to 12 years ago. "We have a weak design standard coupled with weak regulation for implementation. Unregulated use is dangerous," he tells AI.

Having participated in a working group which focused on trapping accidents, Balfour Beatty has issued a document about the procurement and operation of MEWPs (mobile elevated work platforms) which IPAF (International Federation of Powered Access) feels is misleading.

Concerns are being raised that building codes are not being followed in China, following Monday’s devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province. The number of buildings that collapsed, particularly schools, has raised the question of whether they were built to withstand earthquakes, as specified in building codes.

The next few years will see a significant impact of regulatory requirements on access equipment. Tim Watson, Technical Director at Powered Access Certification Ltd, explains the impact on manufacturers.

Is the access industry doing enough to attract the talented engineers it needs to sustain competitive advantage? Paul Adorian managing director of Powered Access Certification Ltd (PAC) challenges the market to invest in the future.

One of the biggest challenges for the European Rental Association (ERA) is to represent the industry in Brussels, having a positive influence on new European Union regulations and legislation that will have an impact on the rental sector. What has the association been doing?