02.28.11 Industry Organizations Ad...(PFP) Safety Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Industry Organizations Address Aerial Work Platform (AWP) Personal Fall Protection (PFP) Safety Education
Las Vegas, February 28, 2011
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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, atThe
Rental Show. This document also will be available as
a free download from each participating organizations'
websites.
