The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) released important guidance to help companies and individuals understand the new ANSI A92 standards, set to be published Dec. 10 and go in effect December 2019.
Four IPAF white papers identify key changes in the North American (both ANSI and CSA) standards to help define responsibilities for companies, owners, and operators in order to become compliant.
The white papers provide guidance and requirements on risk assessments, equipment familiarization, and operator and supervisor/manager training that will affect all manufacturers, dealers, owners, and users of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), formerly referred to as aerial work platforms (AWPs), in North America.
IPAF is offering all manufacturers, dealers, owners, operators and managers of powered access machinery a comprehensive summary of the key changes in the forthcoming US ANSI standards, as well as the corresponding key changes in the CSA B354 standards, which were published in 2017 and came into effect from May 2018.
IPAF now urges all users and dealers of MEWP equipment in North America to consider how IPAF’s operator training program can assist compliance with the standards. Operators are advised to obtain an IPAF PAL Card, while supervisors of MEWP operations can become compliant with some of the key new requirements in the standard through successful completion of IPAF’s MEWPs for Managers training course.
Tony Groat, IPAF’s North America manager, who sits on drafting committees for both the ANSI and CSA standards, said it’s important for MEWP owners and users to take action now.
“While we still await the publication of the ANSI A92 standards, their Canadian counterparts have now been in effect for some months,” Groat said. “It is very important that all owners and users of MEWPs be aware of the key changes in these updated standards and implement plans to become compliant if they haven’t already. Both suites of new standards will require all companies and individuals to be compliant within one year of the effective date of publication – as the ANSI standards will broadly be in line with the CSA equivalents, then it makes sense for firms and their employees to get to grips with the key changes now.”
Andrew Delahunt, IPAF’s director of technical and safety, said the new standards are ultimately designed to bring positive change for the industry.
“The updated ANSI standards will lead to a safer work environment when using powered access equipment to work at height,” Delahunt said. “It is not just operators that need to know about safety when working at height – those supervising the use of MEWPs must also be able to plan, conduct proper risk assessments and adequately supervise safe behaviors. All users, operators, dealers, and training centers have new responsibilities, so the latest IPAF guidance in relation to the new North American standards will doubtless prove very useful in highlighting what is required to become compliant and safe.”
The new guidance documents are available free to download from the www.ipaf.org website. Note that these are intended as a supplement to the new standards only.
To view and download the new IPAF ANSI and CSA guides for users and dealers visit www.ipaf.org/resources or for further help and guidance about the new North America standards please contact USA@ipaf.org.
For info on IPAF’s MEWPs for Managers course please visit www.ipaf.org/en-us/m4m.
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