ReachMaster Inc., located in Kingwood, TX, is one of the latest official IPAF training centers in North America. IPAF (International Powered Access Federation) is a global not-for-profit member’s organization that represents the interest of manufacturers, distributors, users, rental and training companies. As such IPAF promotes the safe and effective use of powered access worldwide. IPAF is headquartered in the UK, but operates and maintains a North American office with full-time staff to promote IPAF and its offerings.
“We have been an active member of IPAF for several years, and I have personally served – and still serve – on the organization’s North American Regional Council. So, it was a natural next step to become an official training center," said Ebbe Christensen, president, ReachMaster Inc. "Given our niche oriented products, we have always had a high focus on safety by offering operational training on all our brands, and being able to now also offer certified IPAF training only adds to those efforts."
IPAF provides the PAL Card (Powered Access License) to those who successfully complete the training, which is offered in seven different lift categories. The PAL card is the most widely held and recognized proof of training for aerial lift operators, and is valid for five years and shows the lift category that the operator has been trained in, as well as a photo ID.
“The PAL card concept is very common in Europe, and growing rapidly in North America, and we hope we can do our part locally and wherever we sell our equipment to increase the number of cards issued. In today’s world, where we thankfully see very well-manufactured equipment, the most important single element to further increase operational safety of aerial lifts is proper training," Christensen says.
ReachMaster Inc. is launching the new training at The Rental Show in Orlando, Feb. 27-March 1, following the official opening of the Houston-area training center on Feb. 16, where IPAF CEO & Managing Director Tim Whiteman was on hand to deliver the official approval plaque.
“We couldn’t think of a better opportunity than The Rental Show to launch this new product and activity, given the many lift professionals that will attend this event. No industry is more exposed to operational lift safety issues than the rental industry, so we obviously want to let the players know that ReachMaster Inc. is now one of more than 30 active training centers in North America that can offer what we consider the best aerial lift training in the world," Christensen said.
