Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

IPAF Presents Mast Climber Safety to OSHA

Words: Dan KamysKevin O'Shea, chairman of IPAF's (International Powered Access Federation) International Mast Climbing Work Platform (MCWP) Committee, presented mast climber safety before OSHA's Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health in early-December 2008. O'Shea was invited to speak in response to OSHA's desire to see a move toward industry best practice and regulation following a series of accidents involving mainly MCWPs and cranes.

During his presentation, O'Shea, who works with Mastclimbers LLC in Atlanta, discussed the U.S. market size for MCWPs, the purpose of the IPAF, and the programs offered by IPAF to increase safety awareness and worksite performance.

Among the facts and figures O'Shea presented about the industry:
  • An average of 12,600 people use MCWPs each day

  • More than 2.5 million working hours are put into the erection and dismantling of MCWPs each year

  • There are about seven or eight near misses on MCWPs each working day in the United States

  • About 4,200 units operate each day in the United States.
O'Shea also raised some areas of concern based on worksite observations:
  • Insubstantial planking on the front edge of the platform causing either a trip or fall hazard

  • Inadequate anchor installation and testing

  • Anchors over- or under-tightened

  • Ties temporarily removed and inadequately re-instated during use

  • Inadequately trained and assessed installers

  • Inadequately trained and assessed users.
O'Shea then introduced the IPAF Guidelines for the Safe Use of Mast Climbing Work Platforms: U.S. Edition 2008. The document was recently released by IPAF and provides comprehensive guidance and advice for MCWP users, installers, owners and rental companies. It also details the level of experience, education and skills verification required for those involved in the supply and use of the product.

Committee members were extremely interested in the PAL Card (Powered Access Licensed-Registration Card), and the level and depth of the training and assessment that IPAF requires before issuing the card. IPAF training for the use of aerial work platforms and mastclimbing work platforms is managed in the United States by its North American subsidiary, Aerial Work Platform Training. Successful trainees are awarded the PAL Card, which is valid for five years. The PAL Card is recognized in many countries and is, for example, accepted by the U.S.-based Scaffold Industry Association as proof of training.
 0
GEN NXT: Luis Sontay
September 2026

For this month, the MCAA got to sit down with aspiring mason Luis Sontay. From taking an interest in masonry as a kid to placing 1st in a postsecondary competition, Luis’ dedication and passion for the trade is clear. Luis describes his early passion fo

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
Mentmore Towers, Fort Point, and More
September 2026

The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, UK, stands as a sweeping estate that represents the absolute peak of English masonry. Conceived with breathtaking scale and precision, the monumental complex is defined by

Justin Stengel
Masonry in the Media
Read More
The Alhambra
September 2026

High above Granada, Spain, the Alhambra offers masonry professionals something more than an architectural landmark. It is a working lesson in how relatively simple building materials, placed by skilled craftsmen and maintained over generations, can create

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
The Wall
September 2026

There is a story around Huntley Brothers that some of our guys simply call “The Wall.” I’ve told it enough times over the years that when I start telling it to one of our younger guys, I can see a few of the older ones rolling their eyes. They’ve heard i

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More