Industry Organizations Address Aerial Work Platform (AWP)
Personal Fall Protection (PFP) Safety Education  

(Feb. 28, 2011) Las Vegas – The American Rental Association (ARA), the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) and the Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) have once again joined forces to develop a new educational document, which focuses on Personal Fall Protection for users of AWP equipment.

The result of this joint venture is the Statement of Best Practices of Personal Fall Protection Systems for Aerial Work Platform Equipment. A previous document, Statement of Best Practices of General Training and Familiarization for Aerial Work Platform Equipment, was introduced to the industry in Feb. 2010.

The participating organizations recognized a need to address the proper use and regulatory compliance of AWP personal fall protection and created a common resource to educate users on best practices of the safe use of PFP equipment. The use of PFP is a component of AWP training and has legal requirements in the United States. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards both address fall protection when using AWP equipment.

The objectives of this best practice document are intended to:

·        Educate the industry on applicable OSHA regulations and the industry-recognized and supported ANSI standards.

·        Provide information to assist users and operators during their selection process to identify the most appropriate personal fall protection system for their job functions while operating AWP equipment.

·        Inform the user and operator how to recognize and guard against the potential fall hazards associated with the use of AWP equipment.

·        Encourage the incorporation of best practices for personal fall protection with AWP equipment into a company’s fall protection plans.

The Statement of Best Practices of Personal Fall Protection Systems for Aerial Work Platform Equipment document was unveiled by the participating organizations during The Rental Show, the ARA’s convention and trade show, Feb. 28, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. An educational session entitled: “AWP Training: Fall Protection” is scheduled from 8-9:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 2, at The Rental Show. This document is available at no charge at http://www.scaffold.org/userfiles/file/BP_PFPSystems_AWPEquipment_Bookmarked_WEB_2_28_11.pdf ,

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About the Contributing Organizations

American Rental Association (ARA) (www.ararental.org) is the international trade association for the equipment rental industry, including rental businesses and suppliers to the industry. ARA provides educational, insurance/risk management, business management and marketing resources; networking opportunities; industry research; and legislative and regulatory advocacy for its members.

Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) (www.aednet.org) is an international trade association representing companies involved in the distribution, rental and support of equipment used in construction, mining, forestry, power generation, agriculture and industrial applications. AED enhances the ongoing success and profitability of its member companies and related constituencies through public policy advocacy; industry education, training and career development; networking opportunities; as well as research, and performance benchmarks.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) (www.aem.org) is the North American-based international trade group representing the off-road equipment manufacturing industry, and its members manufacture equipment, products and services used worldwide in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors.

International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) (www.ipaf.org) is the specialist international trade association representing rental companies, manufacturers and the end users of every type of aerial work platform. IPAF provides training programs, lobbying, market research, business advice and other resources to members and nonmembers as part of its worldwide mission to “promote the safe and effective use of powered access.”

Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) (www.scaffold.org) is a nonprofit trade association committed to raising the standards of professionalism within the scaffold and access industry. The SIA represents all facets of the scaffold and access industry. Through its various programs, the SIA promotes safety, training and a highly professional, responsible image of the scaffold and access professional. The SIA is also the secretariat for the American National Standard, ASC A92 Standards.