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.
It’s a question that makes people uncomfortable. Most teams who use MEWPs regularly will be IPAF trained and will feel confident about operating most powered access platforms. But practising MEWP rescues and knowing what to do in an emergency is rarely practised, if at all.
So, it poses the question, if an operator becomes incapacitated at height on a lifter, or the machine fails mid-lift, are people on the ground or working on adjacent machines ready to act and prevent a knee-jerk response from causing a fall or further injury?
In most cases, the honest answer is no. Not because people don’t care, but because it’s rarely tested. MEWP rescue plans will feature in a risk assessment, will be reviewed, but rarely or never rehearsed.
“It is a pleasure delivering our MEWP Rescue Training, and it is something I urge all MEWP users and managers of MEWP users to do regularly.
“We’ve done several of these sessions across the country and each time people are reminded of what can go wrong, but also how they would feel if they didn’t know what to do in an emergency. We do sessions in support of initiatives like No Falls Week, but mainly to make sure our customers have as much information as possible to work at height safely and act in an emergency.”
Adrian Waddington, Lead Training Instructor, Horizon Platforms
Why MEWP Rescue Training Is Important
MEWP rescue planning is so important for MEWP operators and managers to gain all the skills available to them to not only work safely but act when a colleague is stuck or incapacitated.
Powered access platforms significantly reduce risk when working at height, but issues still occur and knowing what to do when things don’t go to plan is vital, and this is a knowledge gap Horizon is determined to fill.
A rescue plan is a legal requirement under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, but a plan that exists only on paper is rarely one that holds up under pressure. MEWP rescue training turns that document into something a team has rehearsed, tested and understood. That distinction, between having a plan and being ready to use one, is what these sessions are designed to close.
What Does Horizon’s MEWP Rescue Training Cover
MEWP rescue training goes beyond what’s covered in the standard IPAF certification course. Knowing how to operate a platform safely is one thing. Knowing what to do when someone is stuck at height, due to a machine fault, a power failure, or a medical emergency, is something else entirely. But also, knowing how to prevent foreseen issues from occurring is ‘credit in the bank’.
Horizon Platform’s MEWP rescue training isn’t a soulless box-ticking exercise. Our sessions are engaging and tailored expert-led training sessions built on best practice, real incidents, and hard lessons learned. All with the aim of keeping people safe.
During each session we cover the following areas specific to the customer’s industry and the access platforms they use:
- MEWP use challenges: the situations that most commonly lead to problems, and how to spot them before they escalate
- Rescue planning: what a rescue plan looks like, and how to make sure it’s one the team has actually rehearsed
- Practical session: hands-on work with the machines, working through emergency procedures so the knowledge is embedded, not just read
We find delegates on the course throw themselves into it, ask great questions, and are left with better knowledge of what they’d do in an emergency.
I really enjoyed the Horizon MEWP rescue training and found it both insightful and easy to follow. The mix of practical exercise and classroom learning worked really well and helped me feel much more confident in understanding the rescue procedures and safe working practices involved. The trainer was excellent throughout the course, approachable, knowledgeable, and great at keeping everyone engaged. It was a genuinely valuable experience, and I’ve come away with a much better understanding of MEWP rescue operations.
Customer’s SHEQ Manager
MEWP Rescue Training for Your Team
Horizon’s team often talk about number 4 of our 8 Service Commitments: Your Peace of Mind Is Our Priority. But a commitment only counts if we act on it. That’s why in addition to delivering a 98% trouble free MEWP hire service, we spend time with customers imparting our knowledge. It’s not part of a contract, we do it because we’re passionate about supporting customers and keeping them safe.
If you’re a manager who oversees MEWP use and you haven’t run a rescue training session, Adrian’s message is straightforward: do it. Not just for compliance. Not for a certificate. But for the day when you need to act, you can.
If you’d like to run a session for your own team, you can find out more about what a Horizon Platforms MEWP Awareness and Safety Day looks like or speak to your account manager directly.