GUIDANCE ON MEWPsON MEWPs
June 1st 2007 GUIDANCE
Large steel erection sites
using mobile elevating work
platforms (MEWPs) are to be
targeted by HSE inspectors
from October 2007 to March
2008, according to Justine
Lee from the HSE
construction sector safety
team, speaking at the recent
IPAF Summit – Management
Responsibility for MEWPs.
These inspections will also
offer guidance to companies
on how to manage their
MEWPs and on training site
staff.
The move was welcomed
by Tim Whiteman, IPAF
managing director, as a
"proactive effort to reduce
accidents related to work at
height."
Justine Lee said "MEWPs
are good. They provide
excellent safe access to high
level work and the accident
rate is low. But, where
accidents do happen, the
impact is sensational.
"A large proportion of the
accidents are due to poor
planning and management
issues rather than operator
error. The different duty
holders from the work
planner to the supplier to
the site management, to
sub-contractor have a joint
responsibility for safe work
at height."
To help address the
problem, the HSE will
publish a Construction
Information Sheet that will
cover all types of boom
MEWPs and give guidance on
aspects from selection
criteria and transport and
delivery to site, through to
positioning, maintenance
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