IPAF Training Manager Shares Industry Insights Relevant to Quarrying, Construction and Waste Sectors with Certora in Exclusive Interview

Working at height remains one of the most significant operational risks across quarrying, waste and recycling, utilities and construction, making competence, supervision and equipment selection critical elements of any safety strategy. Recognising those challenges, Paul Roddis, Training Manager at IPAF, recently shared his views on training, safety and workforce competence in an exclusive interview hosted by Certora Training.

The discussion explored several topics relevant to site managers, supervisors and employers responsible for powered access equipment, including employer responsibilities, incident reporting, training standards, familiarisation and the practical resources available to support safer working at height. For businesses operating Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs), the interview reinforces the importance of developing competence beyond initial certification and ensuring operators continue to receive support, supervision and guidance throughout their working life.

One area likely to be of particular interest to HUB-4 readers is IPAF's Global Safety Report, which uses more than a decade of incident reporting data to identify the most common causes of serious incidents and fatalities involving powered access equipment. The findings help shape training content, safety campaigns and guidance documents, allowing the industry to respond directly to real-world risks rather than assumptions.

The interview also highlights the practical resources available through IPAF, including Toolbox Talks, familiarisation guidance, inspection guidance and safety campaign materials designed to support employers operating powered access equipment across industrial environments. These resources help organisations reinforce training after the course has finished and maintain competence within the workforce.

For Certora Training, the conversation reflects a long-standing relationship with IPAF and continued involvement in the development of training standards. The company delivers IPAF training nationally through customer sites and dedicated training centres, while Adele Coupe, Training Manager at Certora, has served on the IPAF Training Committee for eight years, contributing to discussions surrounding competence, instructor development and training quality.

The interview also includes reflections from Paul Roddis on nearly ten years as IPAF Training Manager and the work still taking place to improve instructor development and consistency across the global training network.