Horizon Platforms Blog

With No Falls Week upon us, it’s the right moment to talk about something we do regularly, and something MEWP operators and managers don’t always consider. Working at height is one of the most dangerous occupational tasks and falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities in Great Britain (HSE data). These are not statistics we can read and move on from.

No Falls Week gives us a reason to talk publicly about the MEWP safety awareness work we do all year round. Horizon Platforms’ Lead Training Instructor, Adrian Waddington, recently travelled to Sheffield and spent a day with a customer working through something that doesn’t get talked about enough: what to do when someone gets stuck at height on an access platform.

For mechanical and electrical contractors, fit-out companies, and industrial door specialists and commercial maintenance businesses managing large, high-stakes projects, keeping track of dozens of Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs) across multiple live sites isn’t just an administrative task, it’s a critical operational necessity. But it comes with it challenges due to the many moving parts. The last thing you need is to waste hours tied up in admin! Therefore, this article explains why HireHub helps avoid costly MEWP hire admin headaches.

No matter what work-from-height project you’re undertaking, delays that occur because of faulty MEWPs (mobile elevating work platforms), late deliveries or a lack of support from a supplier can have a significant impact on project and business outcomes. And if you work through the night, when this happens, the last thing you need is to have to wait until the next day to get help from your platform provider, adding further stress to an already difficult situation.

While hiring a MEWP (mobile elevating work platforms) from Horizon Platforms guarantees a hassle-free experience 98% of the time, there are unfortunately occasions where a powered access platform may break down due to unforeseen or unexpected circumstances.

But what do you do when you’re in the middle of a job and your access platforms stops working? In this guide, we run you through the essential steps you need to follow if your lifters break down on site.

IPAF PAL Cards are valid for 5 years. When it expires, you need to complete a renewal course to remain certified to operate mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) such as scissor lifts, cherry pickers and push around platforms. This article explains what the renewal process involves, when to do it, and why it matters.