New guide to offer best practice guidance for MEWPs

A new guide has been prepared to provide clarity about the safe use of MEWPs (mobile elevating work platforms) including planning, equipment selection, and training, familiarisation, safe use, supervision and rehearsal of rescue procedures, together with monitoring of the whole process.

“The guide and its content is vitally important to site management, who must ensure that operators are competent, capable of operating equipment safely and are following safe working procedures,” said Pete Walker, BCSA Health, Safety and Training Manager.

Using MEWPs saves time and makes work at height efficient, effective and safer than using traditional methods of access such as ladders. When used safely, MEWPs significantly reduce the risk of injuries through falling from height.

Unfortunately over the past few years a significant number of accidents involving the use of MEWPs have occurred, including a number of fatalities. Some of these incidents have involved the operator or another person being crushed against fixtures or obstacles. The incidents could have been prevented by correct planning and preparation, selection of appropriate machinery and proper use.

“Every year, the construction industry is responsible for causing deaths and serious injury. The constructional steelwork industry has done much to improve its own performance, and made significant improvements to its reportable injury records during the Revitalising Health & Safety Campaign, recording a 60% reduction in reportable accidents,” said Mr Walker

The guidance is comprehensive and easy to adopt. It represents best practice and will be issued to BCSA members as soon as it is available. The organisations involved in the publication are:

• Strategic Forum for Construction (SfC)
• Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA)
• Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA)
• International Plant Access Federation (IPAF)
• UKCG
• Fall Arrest Safety Equipment Training (FASET)