Record year for IPAF training centres
16 January 2014
Access safety training is being embraced by the industry with 121,744 people undergoing IPAF-approved training courses in 2013 – a record number for the Federation.
The figure marks at 12.8% increase on the 112,887 people trained by IPAF in 2012 and marks a huge step towards the organisation having half a million valid PAL cards in circulation by the end of 2014.
IPAF CEO Tim Whiteman said: “We anticipate that we will hit the mark of half a million valid PAL cards sometime this year.
"Projects recently launched, such as the global rollout of management courses, the introduction of PAL+ advanced operator training and the eLearning module, promise exciting times for IPAF and the industry.”
Training available from IPAF-approved centres includes operator courses for which a PAL Card (Powered Access Licence) is issued, and harness and management courses for which a certificate is issued.
A valid PAL Card is proof that the cardholder has been trained to operate powered access equipment safely and effectively. PAL cards can be issued in standard or Smart PAL card (machine-readable) versions. They are valid for five years.
At the end of 2013, IPAF had 1,037 members and 615 training centres worldwide.