THE International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has launched its latest global safety campaign, titled Stop Overturns – Safety Starts on the Ground!
This year’s campaign focuses on the serious and often fatal consequences of mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) overturns. These incidents can result in operators and occupants being ejected from the platform and create complex rescue scenarios for those trapped at height during a partial overturn.
The latest statistics informing this year’s campaign revealed that:
- Fatal overturns increased by 50% from January 2021 to December 2023.
- In the last decade, 108 fatalities, 64 major injuries, and 25 minor injuries, were reported and attributed to overturns incidents involving MEWPs. 64% of overturns were reported from North America, 18% from Europe, and 22% from Asia.
- The occupation most affected was MEWP operators, with a small number from delivery drivers, technicians/engineers, company staff and the public.
- Of these 108 recorded fatalities, 52 were in 2021-2023, and 33% of overturns happened on a 3A mobile scissor, followed by 1B static boom – vehicle (28%), 3B mobile boom (23%) and 1B static boom – tracked (12%).
- Instability leading to overturn is commonly among the top four industry causes of lost time incidents (LTIs) annually.
- MEWP overturns typically occur during setup, travel, or operation on inadequate or unsuitable ground or floor conditions. They can also occur while moving category 3A and 3B MEWPs across unsuitable terrain in either the elevated or stowed positions.
- The most common places for incidents to occur are construction premises, public areas, roads and highways, and rental yards.
- Non-fatal injury types result in fracture, concussion, bruising, impact pains, and cuts and lacerations.
Brian Parker, IPAF’s head of safety & technical, said, “MEWP overturns continue to be a major cause of serious injuries and fatalities in our industry. With the launch of IPAF’s 2025 Global Safety Campaign – Stop Overturns: Safety Starts on the Ground! – we are reinforcing a crucial message: ground conditions matter. By understanding the risks and implementing proper safety measures, we can prevent overturns, protect lives, and create safer work environments worldwide. Let’s work together to make a significant impact and aim for a measurable decrease in MEWP overturns globally.”
Led by Brian Parker and Alana Paterson, head of health, safety & environment at Taylor Woodrow & chair of the IPAF international safety committee, the campaign emphasises when overturns occur, the hazards and risks – from injuries and fatalities to disruption of worksite and psychological impact – along with ways to manage and minimise risks.
IPAF has developed new industry guidance: The Assessment of Ground Conditions and Supporting Structures for The Safe Use of MEWPs. It is split into two parts: guidance for MEWP users, with sections on dewatering, suspended floors, and temporary works, and guidance for MEWP operators, focusing on the MEWP travelling on uneven ground, elevated, stowed position, slopes and positioning.
