IPAF, AWPT to Demonstrate Harness Safety at ConExpo

Enlarge Image AWPT's Click It! campaign will bring harness safety demonstrations to ConExpo.

January 17, 2008 • The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) Safety Zone at ConExpo Booth SZ1000 will feature a dynamic demonstration on the dangers of not wearing a harness in boom-type platforms. This 15-minute show will run at regular intervals throughout the day and give practical advice on the correct way to use a harness. Shows are at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The IPAF Safety Zone will cover nearly 8,000 square feet and will feature a range of aerial equipment supplied by IPAF members exhibiting at the show.

 

“We much appreciate the support of the organizers in making this happen,” said Tim Whiteman, AWPT president and IPAF managing director. “It is frustrating when people are unnecessarily killed or injured while using boom-type platforms because they don't wear harnesses. The demonstration will show in a vivid way the dangers of being thrown or catapulted from the platform if it is hit by another piece of equipment or is affected by ground subsidence.”

 

The live demonstration is part of AWPT's Click It! safety campaign that calls on users of boom-type platforms to wear a full-body harness with a short lanyard attached to a suitable anchor point. This advice is outlined in Technical Guidance Note AWPT H1, which explains when and how to wear harnesses and lanyards on different types of aerial platforms (available at www.awpt.org).

 

Safety and the correct use of harnesses and lanyards will also be a topic for discussion at several technical meetings being held at the IPAF booth during the trade show. These include the AWPT instructors' meeting (March 11 at 1:30 p.m.), the AWPT Advisory Council meeting (March 11 at 2:30 p.m.) and the IPAF Manufacturers' Technical Committee meeting (March 12 at 2 p.m.).

 

With the Click It! campaign, thousands of stickers in six languages have been printed for distribution. The stickers remind and encourage people to wear a harness and can be placed on boom-type platforms where all occupants in the platform can see them. The program is endorsed by the Scaffold Industry Association as well as many aerial equipment manufacturers and rental companies around the world.