CPA Bulletin

ASSOCIATIONNEWS The first Strategic ForumPlant Safety Group (SFPSG) MEWPs Open Meeting is being hosted on Tuesday 19th February 2019 from 10am - 3pm at Yew Lodge Hotel in Kegworth, Leicestershire. The meeting is open to anyone who has an interest in the safe use of MEWPs, but spaces are limited so please could all interested parties confirm attendance to richard.whiting @ ipaf.org . A number of key speakers will be presenting on themes including Accidents and Reporting Systems, Operator Competence, Rescue of Persons from MEWPs and Secondary Guarding. It will be an interactive event with plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion, and an open forum towards the end of the meeting. The aim of the SFPSG MEWPs Group is to promote continued safe use and best practice in the operation of MEWPs. The MEWPs Group is chaired by the CPA and administered and supported by IPAF. The Group co-ordinates the production of safety guidance documents, the latest of which is ‘Rescue of Persons from MEWPs’ and provides guidance to put plans in place to rescue powered access users if they ever become stranded at height. MEWPs Open Meeting The CPA hosted a series of open meetings around the country in January 2019 to encourage discussion about construction plant card schemes in construction. Meetings were held in Reading, Solihull, Leeds and Stirling and we were pleased to welcome so many of our members to the meetings which generated some interesting discussion and debate. A full report will be featured in the next issue of the CPA Bulletin. The CPA organised the regional meetings following discussions at a CPA-hosted Training on Plant in Construction (TOPIC) event in April 2018, which identified that CPA members and other delegates would welcome further clarification and updates on the current status of plant-based card schemes and their interface with construction sector employers. One driver for discussion was the announcement made in August by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), as part of its Vision 2020 reform programme, to divest the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) card scheme for plant operators to an external organisation. The new owner is the NOCN Group, an awarding organisation that offers a range of construction-based qualifications, and was also the buyer in 2017 for CITB’s awarding organisation, CSkills Awards. Kevin Minton, Chief Executive at CPA, said: “These roadshows form part of our work looking at what longer term arrangements and structures the sector should have in place to give employers access to the right workforce for the future, and economic and efficient risk management measures.” Regional Open Meetings to Discuss Card Schemes Chris Cassley has joined the CPA team as Policy Manager. This is a new position, and the principal purpose of the role is to analyse external and internal influences on CPA policy and strategy. Chris will also be responsible for working with CPA Council and the team to develop and implement policy, to further the best interests of CPA members. Chris was previously employed by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) for over 16 years. His most recent role at the CBI was Lead Policy Advisor for the EU Science and Innovation campaign, acting as the link between government, the EU and CBI members. Prior to this he was Medium Sized Business Campaign Manager and Manufacturing and Construction Council Policy Advisor at the CBI. He acted as the secretariat to a number of high level CBI policy committees, including establishing the Innovation and Digital Committee. Following his appointment, Chris said: “‘I am delighted to join the CPA team. Plant is the backbone of the construction industry and the CPA plays a vital role in representing the interests of the sector. I look forward to working with our members in developing and shaping this new area for the CPA as we meet the issues head on.” Kevin Minton, Chief Executive of the CPA added: “Chris’ appointment as Policy Manager is an exciting development for both our team and our members, as he will lead policy implementation in the interests of CPA members. Chris already has valuable experience of the UK construction market and has a great deal of expertise in analysis and implementation of key policies, so he will be a valuable addition to our team.” New Policy Manager www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > February 2019 9 ASSOCIATION NEWS