IPAF accident reporting reveals training need
IPAF rental company members in the UK have been reporting any known MEWP accidents involving their staff to the IPAF accident database.
Having analysed the data, IPAF is suggesting that training and safety initiative should be targeted at delivery drivers. Companies are also being urged to make sure staff watch out for slips/trips/falls and pay attention to manual handling when working at height.
The findings were announced at the Vertikal Days exhibition in Haydock Park, where the IPAF stand featured demonstrations on the safe loading and unloading of MEWPs.
A total of 303 MEWP-related incidents were reported by IPAF UK rental company members involving their employees and employees of their customers where they have been made aware of incidents, from the time the project was voluntary in January 2012 until the end of April 2013.
Of these incidents, 46.2% (140) resulted in injury, 43.2% (131) resulted in damage, and 10.6% (32) were near misses.
Loading and unloading of MEWPs is potentially one of the most dangerous activities, an area that IPAF is focusing on. About a third of the incidents involved drivers (34.3%, 104). Industry sources estimate that there are approximately one million movements of MEWPs (delivery and collection) by road every year in the UK. Other incidents involved engineers (25.1%, 76), customers (22.4%, 68) and operators (18.2%, 55).
Closer analysis of the 140 incidents resulting in injury reveals certain patterns. The main causes of injuries were: slips/trips/falls at the same level (23.6%, 33), manual handling (16.4%, 23) and use of hand tools (15%, 21). Further down the list were: stranded in equipment (10%, 14), fall from height (7.1%, 10), walked/bumped into equipment (6.4%, 9) and injury while using the upper controls of a scissor lift while walking beside the machine, sometimes referred to as dog leading (6.4%, 9).
