Combatting common MEWPs and MCWPs accidents
Mark Keily, member and former chair of IPAF’s International Safety Committee, explores the latest safety trends and explains why accident reporting has never been more important.
Improving powered access safety is a fundamental priority for IPAF.
As part of this commitment, the federation has collected accident data since 2012, providing insights that support the development of international safety campaigns, training programmes and standards.
The IPAF Global Safety Report 2024 revealed that the main causes of incidents involving powered access equipment are largely consistent year on year.
In total, 26 countries reported incidents – a 10% decrease compared with 2022.
While the number of people (216) involved in incidents decreased by 2% compared with the previous year, the number of fatalities increased by 12% to a total of 128, highlighting the persistent safety challenges facing the powered access sector.
Key trends: electrocutions and electric shocks
In 2023, incident reporting increased by 70% on the previous year. Double the number of countries reported incidents and the number of people involved increased by 90%. The data also shows fatalities rose by 47% compared with 2022.
According to the data, the top three lost time incidents for 2023 were falls from the platform, overturns and electrocutions.
Same incidents keep happening
Looking at the findings, Mark Keily, member and former chair of IPAF’s International Safety Committee, says he is frustrated that many of the same incidents “keep happening, year after year”.
“Those top three incidents have been fairly consistent for some time. These accidents are entirely preventable, yet they occur again and again.”
Keily is also health, safety and sustainability director at Sunbelt Rentals. He says that during his 30-year career in the construction industry and then the rental sector, he has seen “predictable” risks where contractors and/or employees are essentially “rolling the dice” when it comes to safety.
“At most sites, you can see they are set up properly and these safety incidents are unlikely to happen.
“Then there will be another site where you can see these incidents are entirely predictable because the proper planning risk assessments and procedures to keep people safe have not been done.”
Key trends: falls from the platform
In 2023, reports of falls from the platform increased by 2.7%. In total, seven countries reported, up from six in 2022. There were 46 cases and 36 fatalities, highlighting the often fatal nature of such incidents.
Call for collective responsibility
To help address this issue, Keily is calling for increased awareness of the collective responsibility to improve safety practices.
As part of this drive to advance safety standards, he insists that the powered access community must commit to transparent and consistent accident reporting.
In recent years, accident reporting has become simpler, with easier ways to report and the option to do so anonymously using the IPAF accident portal.
While this shift could help to explain the increased number of reports year on year, Keily still believes more needs to be done to encourage companies and individuals to report every accident that occurs.
“In the UK, it is mandated for all rental companies to report accidents, but we are starting to see more [MEWPs and MCWPs] users reporting,” he says. “However, I think we’re still only scratching the surface with that.
Key trends: overturns
In 2023, reports of MEWPs overturning decreased by 8% to 23 incidents, yet fatalities rose sharply by 71%. Nine countries reported these incidents, a 28.6% increase on 2022. Overall, 32 people were involved in incidents.
“We need to increase awareness among users about the importance of reporting. More reporting allows us to identify trends, which then helps to drive safety campaigns and improvements across the sector.”
He adds: “It is vital that everyone understands this is not just reporting for reporting’s sake.”
More mature markets
Keily also believes more mature markets such as the UK – where MEWPs and MCWPs are commonly used for working at height – have a responsibility to help improve safety standards in emerging markets around the world.
“It is all about how we can influence, share best practice and drive those changes as part of the international powered access community,” he says.
“IPAF plays an important role in supporting collaboration across the globe, but we all have a responsibility to do more.
“How can we help to remove the barriers and ensure all the key stakeholders – from regulators and federations to suppliers and end users – are collaborating? We need a more joined-up approach to safety.”
Keily adds that safety “should not be viewed as one person’s responsibility”.
“There has got to be shared ownership,” he says. “Whether it is the rental company, or whoever is hiring the machine, using, maintaining or servicing it – everyone has to take responsibility for helping to keep themselves and others safe on site.
Key trends: MCWPs and construction hoists
There were eight reports of incidents involving MCWPs or construction hoists in 2023, representing a 300% increase compared with 2022. In total, there were 13 fatalities, a 400% increase on the previous year.
“We can all work towards some of those improvements that need to be made consistently across the industry and help manage out those safety risks.”
Taking individual and collective responsibility brings Keily back to the importance of reporting accidents.
“I would always urge people to report because the more information we have, the better we can address these issues without misinterpreting any data,” he says.
Keily describes IPAF’s reporting portal as “industry leading” and vital to driving improvements in machine design, operator safety training, and general awareness across the sector.
“It takes a minute or two to report something. You could be helping to save a life and prevent future accidents,” he says.
“Powered access provides an excellent and safe solution for working at height, but it comes with some inherent risks, which can be designed or managed out. However, we need to work together to achieve that.
“Nobody goes to work to get injured or killed. It is incumbent on all of us to work together to make the industry safer.”
Read the full IPAF Global Safety 2024 report here: https://www.ipaf.org/en/gsr2024.
