Powered access fatalities drop by a quarter globally in 2025
Fatal accidents involving powered access dropped by nearly a quarter globally, according to a report issued by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF).
IPAF’s Global Safety Report 2026 found a 24% decrease in powered access fatalities in 2025 and a 15% decrease in fatal and major incidents.
Overall, 170 incident reports were submitted to IPAF’s global accident reporting portal last year, compared with 201 in 2024.
The top three causes of accidents were electrocutions, falls from the platform and overturns.
Mixed picture for UK reports
The report showed a mixed picture in terms of incident reporting in the UK from 2024 to 2025. Reports of electrocutions dropped from three to one in 2025, while falls from platforms remained at six for both years. Overturns increased in 2025 to 12, compared with seven the previous year, while incidents of being hit by falling objects dropped from 13 in 2024 to 11 in 2025.
Globally, most incidents occurred on construction sites (37%), followed by other (14%), arboriculture (13%) and rental activity (13%). The top MEWP categories involved were 3b (26%) and 3a machines (25%).
“A 24% reduction in fatalities is encouraging and demonstrates that sustained industry focus can make a real difference, but we cannot allow this progress to lead to complacency.”
IPAF head of safety and technical Brian Parker said: “A 24% reduction in fatalities is encouraging and demonstrates that sustained industry focus can make a real difference, but we cannot allow this progress to lead to complacency.
“Every reported incident provides valuable learning, and the data highlights where our attention must remain firmly fixed – particularly around electrocutions, falls from the platform, overturns, and the emerging increase in incidents involving MCWPs and construction hoists.”
Planning and risk control weaknesses
Common issues leading to incidents highlighted by the report include weaknesses in planning and risk control measures, insufficient supervision, and poor decision-making when personnel are working under time pressure or changing site conditions.
The report focuses on incidents involving mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), mast climbing work platforms (MCWPs) and construction hoists (CH).
