NEW AIF KNOWLEDGE BASE TAKES CENTRE STAGE  AT SAFETY & HEALTH EXPO

Stand G100, Hall 1, NEC, Birmingham, 11 – 13 May 2010

NEW for 2010 at the Safety & Health Expo is the AIF Knowledge Base, a new concept in completely new surroundings designed to address the hot topics in work at height. Gone are the traditional presentations and actor-based scenarios to be replaced by panel discussions, debates and demonstrations featuring twelve organisations at the forefront of access, safety and best practice.

Contributing to the Forum for the first time are APS, BSIF, CPA, CIOB, UKCG and IOSH. They will bring to the event fresh insights and perspectives, especially to the panel discussions that will be chaired by Murray Pollok, managing editor of Access International magazine. These include:

Who’s the work at height expert – client or contractor?

Qualifying competence – do we or don’t we?

Improving sustainability – how can work at height make a
difference?

The audience will be actively encouraged to participate in these debates and anyone wishing to submit a question in advance can do so via the Forum’s website www.accessindustryforum.co.uk

A keynote speaker on the first day is John Lacey, a former president of IOSH and currently chairman of the IOSH Construction Group. An international lecturer and Chartered Fellow of IOSH, John will address the topic ‘Product solutions are no solution’.

For the AIF, in a marked departure from previous years, PASMA will host a series of three different debates - one each day - by leading university debating societies briefed by a panel of tower experts. The first of these will address the motion: ‘That 3T (Through the Trap) is a perfectly acceptable method of preventing falls from mobile access towers’.

In a similar vein, the Ladder Association will debate the need for professional training when it comes to choosing, using and inspecting ladders. Everyone expects to be properly trained when using MEWP’s and towers, so why not ladders?

The NASC, whose membership accounts for over 75% of the UK scaffolding industry, will talk about recent changes in scaffolding guidance, and IRATA, who offer worldwide industrial rope access work and training, will explain how to deliver workplace safety at height.

For IPAF a series of expert speakers will address the topics ‘Choosing the right MEWP for the job’, ‘Working in restricted overhead spaces’, and ‘The dangers of not using spreader pads with outriggers’.

Finally, the Forum is delighted to welcome back Alison Wellens, Head of the Slips, Trips and Falls Team within the Work Environment, Radiation and Gas Division of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), who will provide an update on the award-winning ‘Shattered Lives’ campaign.

Full details of the complete programme can be viewed on the Forum’s website www.accessindustryforum.org.uk

Visitors wishing to discuss specific points of interest, or simply wanting more information, can visit the trade association stands in the popular Access Village adjacent to the AIF Knowledge Base.

Note for Editor

The AIF provides a Forum for all the principal trade associations and federations involved in temporary work at height. Each organisation represents a different sector of the access industry and is a recognised leader and authority in its respective field. All nine members of the Forum are standards driven and committed to advancing safety, best practice and competency when working at height, irrespective of equipment type or safety solution.

Please visit www.accessindustryforum.org.uk for more information.

Representing the Forum at the 2010 Expo:
IPAF  International Powered Access Federation
IRATA  Industrial Rope Access Trade Association
LA  Ladder Association
NASC  National Access & Scaffolding Confederation
PASMA Prefabricated Access Suppliers’ and Manufacturers’ Association

Guest organisations at the 2010 Expo:
APS  Association for Project Safety
BSIF  British Safety Industry Federation
CIOB  Chartered Institute of Building    
CPA  Construction Products Association
HSE  Health & Safety Executive
IOSH  Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
UKCG  UK Contractors Group