IPAF - Harnesses: Clunk click!
October 10th 2007 A sad story heard all too often: A man working on a boom type access platform is catapulted to his death. He was not wearing a harness. To stop such unnecessary deaths, a worldwide campaign called Clunk Click has been launched. The campaign calls for all users of boom type platforms to wear a full body harness with a short restraint lanyard attached to a suitable anchor point.
Clunk Click started as a grassroots initiative by the UK Powered Access Interest Group (PAIG), a joint committee of the Construction Planthire Association and IPAF. Major rental companies took the initiative because unnecessary fatal accidents were happening when users were thrown out of boom platforms because they were not wearing harnesses.
IPAF has launched international versions of Clunk Click, including the German “Click Clack”, the French “Un petit Clic” and the North American “Click It”. Thousands of posters and stickers have been printed and distributed to spread the message. The campaign is supported, among others, by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the Major Contractors Group (MCG), the Hire Association of Europe (HAE), the German Association of Construction Equipment Engineers (VDBUM) and Platformers’ Days. Companies such as AFI-Uplift, Facelift, Nationwide and Niftylift in the UK, Schmidt and Zooom in Germany, as well as NES Rentals and Skyjack in North America, have committed to putting a sticker on every boom.
When and how should harnesses be used? Help is at hand in the form of technical guidance note H1 developed by IPAF in consultation with industry and with the support of safety bodies such as the UK Health & Safety Executive, the US-based Scaffold Industry Association, the German Berufsgenossenschaften, the Swiss Suva, and the Dutch Aboma-Keboma and SGS.
Should harnesses be used? The answer, when it comes to booms, is clearly yes. Reports from around the world reveal a significant number of accidents involving people catapulted out, with various causes: booms working at the side of roads being hit by passing vehicles; machines being moved while the boom is raised and hitting a kerb/bump of some sort; even just the jolting of unloading a boom from a low-loader. The common factor is the catapulting effect of being in a basket a long way from the machine’s centre of gravity, a force which is not to be underestimated.
The argument for wearing harnesses on vertical lifting machines (scissor lifts and vertical personnel platforms) is less clear cut, however.
First, by wearing a harness and restricting movement the operator can create quite a large blindspot through the platform itself and this can have its own dangers. Second, the size of some decks on vertical platforms means that if the operator did want to be free to move over the whole area while still wearing a harness he/she would need a very long lanyard. This could easily become tangled, especially if there is more than one person on board, again leading to its own problems. The most important thing to remember is that the need for a fall protection system will be the outcome of a job-specific risk assessment undertaken prior to work commencing. In certain circumstances – most notably low-level work over water with the associated risk of drowning – this may override the general advice to wear harnesses in boom type platforms.
Be very careful with the connectors used: karabiners, for example, must be oriented the right way (longitudinally, not laterally). Finally, don’t attach any harness or lanyard to something outside the basket of the boom. Technical guidance H1 is available at the Publications section of www.ipaf.org
Join the world of powered access
IPAF is a not-for-IPAF is a not-for-profit members’ organisation dedicated to promoting the safe and effective use of powered access. It was set up in 1983 to represent the interests of manufacturers, distributors, hirers, training companies, and users of powered access equipment. Through the years, IPAF has become a strong agent of change in developing and promoting best practice.
The IPAF training programme for platform operators is certified by TüV as conforming to ISO 18878. More than 50,000 operators are trained each year through a worldwide network of over 250 IPAF-approved training centres. Successful trainees are awarded the PAL Card (Powered Access Licence), the most widely held and recognised proof of training for platform operators. IPAF recently stepped up its lobbying and informational activities in the EU. It actively participates in the ongoing review of EN 280, the standard regulating the design and manufacture of powered access equipment. IPAF also represents its members on regional organisations such as the European Rental Association (ERA). IPAF has representatives on five ERA Committees and Sub- Groups: Norms & Safety, Promotion, Statistics, General Rental Conditions and Training. This active involvement reflects IPAF’s aim to ensure that the voice of the access industry is heard.
IPAF activities are growing rapidly on an international level, with country representatives in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. It monitors national legislation and works together with the relevant authorities (e.g. the HSE in Britain, Suva in Switzerland) or industry associations (e.g. the Scaffold Industry Association in the USA) to promote safety in the use of platforms.
Members enjoy access to a wealth of practical information on legal, technical and commercial aspects of platform use. They have the opportunity to shape legislation and regulations on platform use. The work of IPAF falls under specialist committees dedicated to: mast climbing work platforms, training, rentals, telescopic handlers, manufacturers’ technical committee and powered access interest group. IPAF itself is represented on several standards committees, including FEM (European Federation of Materials Handling and Storage Equipment) and the British standards committees BS 8454 and BS 8460. In addition, IPAF members can tap into a growing portfolio of member services. Details are at the Services section of www.ipaf.org
Potential members need to be proposed and seconded by existing IPAF members. They are also required to abide by the IPAF Code of Conduct and maintain professional standards. IPAF has, for instance, developed Terms and Conditions of Hire to provide clear guidance on specific contractual issues in platform rental, available in versions for England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. IPAF’s Rental+ quality mark takes the compliance with standards further. It is a voluntary programme for IPAF members to undergo an independent audit to demonstrate that they conform to the rules. These measures ensure that standards and service levels are kept high, that customers get a fair deal, and indeed, that the flag of the powered access industry continues to fly. More articles from International Powered Access Federation: | 
