CPA Bulletin

32 CPA Bulletin > May 2019 www.cpa.uk.net HEALTH & SAFETY: 1 MEWPs Open Meeting Although the SFPSG MEWPs Group has been in existence for several years, with an overall aim to promote continued safe use and best practice in the operation of MEWPs, this is the first time that an open meeting has been held with attendance from across the sector. Representatives from access manufacturers, hire companies, contractors, training providers, construction companies and trade associations were all in attendance. The SFPSG MEWPs Group is chaired by the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) and administered and supported by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF). CPA Chief Executive Kevin Minton worked alongside Richard Whiting , UK Market General Manager at IPAF, to devise a packed agenda. This covered speaker presentations on key issues such as accident reporting, MEWP operator competence, card schemes, the importance of the familiarisation of MEWPs, rescue of persons fromMEWPs and secondary guarding, as well as offering plentiful opportunities for questions and audience interaction via the Slido audience interaction tool. The event was chaired by Kevin in his capacity as Chair of the SFPSG MEWPs Group and welcoming attendees, he said he was heartened by how many people were present at the meeting. Almost two thirds of the attendees had never attended a SFPSG MEWPs Group meeting before, which highlighted the huge interest in the issues being addressed. Kevin spoke about the sterling work carried out by the SFPSG MEWPs Group, including the production of a series of safety guidance documents covering a whole range of issues frommedical fitness to rescue of persons fromMEWPs. The documents are available as a free download from both the CPA and IPAF websites and are downloaded thousands of times. Andrew Delahunt, Director of Technical and Safety at IPAF, was the first speaker at the meeting and he quickly gained the full attention of the audience with statistics of fatalities worldwide involving MEWPs. In 2017 there were 83 known fatal accidents using MEWPs, based on the IPAF accident database and 29 country reports. Andrew outlined that the majority of these accidents took place in the USA, but that there are likely to have been more incidents in continents such as Asia that were not reported. He stated that the “shared knowledge” approach benefits all the access industry. Accident data helps improves regulations and known risks can be targeted, thereby offering better protection for all. Information given to IPAF’s accident reporting project at www.ipaf.org/accident can also be kept confidential and anonymous. Andrew went on to say that fatal accidents involving MEWPs in the UK are decreasing, with one incident in 2017 and one in 2018, and that the approach adopted in the UK is working but the ultimate objective is to eradicate fatalities involving MEWPs. He also referred to a 2018 Summary Report produced by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE), which revealed that the rate of self-reported work-related ill-health and non-fatal injury was statistically higher in construction than many other industries. A study of published workplace statistics in 10 countries (Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, UK and USA) found that falls from height account for 20-30% of all fatal workplace accidents and that the top three causes of falls from height are structures, roofs and ladders. HSE statistics reveal that there have been 200 fatalities and 28,000 injuries relating to falls from height in the UK over the past five years. Andrew went on to refer to IPAF safety campaigns which highlight that falls from height can be avoided through proper planning, involving trained operators, risk assessments, MEWP inspections and setting up proper traffic management and exclusion zones. He talked about the risks associated with wander-leading of scissor lifts, whereby injuries can be caused by MEWPs colliding with a person or object, or by MEWPs manoeuvring in the yard or on site and urged contractors and hire companies to implement clear protocols to minimise the risk of wander-leading scissor lifts. Risks are also associated with the delivery of MEWPs. The top three causes of fatalities are loading tip-overs, falls from platforms during loading and strikes by other vehicles, and he referred to the availability of publications relating to planning, supervision and safe systems of work, available on the IPAF and CPA websites at www.ipaf.org/en/ipaf-training and www.cpa.uk.net/sfpsgpublications . Andrew finished his informative presentation by highlighting the importance of near-miss reporting and identifying high- risk situations before an accident occurs, then implementing safe working practices. The first ever Strategic ForumPlant Safety Group (SFPSG) MEWPs OpenMeeting was hosted in February at Yew Lodge Hotel in Kegworth, Leicestershire, and it proved a huge success with more than 60 people attending the inaugural event.