Half a million PAL Cards worldwide
IPAF hails ‘tremendous success’ to date and sets target to reach one million valid PAL Cards by 2017
ACCORDING to the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF), there are now half a million valid PAL Cards (Powered Access Licences) worldwide, highlighting the success of the Federation’s voluntary, industry-led operator training programme in keeping the use of powered access equipment safe.
‘This is a tremendous success for IPAF members,’ said the Federation’s chief executive officer, Tim Whiteman. ‘Our members created and launched the platform operator training programme in 1991, not because the law mandated it, but because they had a vision of a safe and professional industry.
‘IPAF manages the programme on behalf of its members and the income is reinvested in the training programme and other safety initiatives, such as the Clunk Click harness campaign, the spreader pads campaign, or the accident reporting project.’
A valid PAL Card is international proof that the cardholder has been trained to operate powered access equipment safely and effectively. PAL Cards can be issued in standard or ‘smart’ (machine-readable) versions. They are valid for five years and can be verified online via the IPAF website.
‘IPAF’s Powered Access Rental Market Reports estimate that there are about 950,000 mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) in the rental fleet worldwide,’ added Mr Whiteman. ‘With the number of PAL Cards currently at around half of the worldwide MEWP rental fleet, we have set a goal of reaching a million valid PAL Cards by 2017.’
