IPAF Certification Explained: What It Means and Why It Matters

IPAF certification is the UK industry standard for people who operate mobile elevated work platforms - cherry pickers, scissor lifts and spider platforms. If you are hiring a contractor to work at height, understanding what a PAL card means protects you legally and practically.

What Is IPAF?

IPAF stands for the International Powered Access Federation - the global trade body that sets training and safety standards for the powered access industry. Founded in 1983, IPAF operates in over 60 countries and is the recognised authority for MEWP (Mobile Elevated Work Platform) operator certification in the UK.

Completing an IPAF training course results in a PAL card - Powered Access Licence. This is a credit-card-sized certificate, valid for five years, that identifies the holder, lists the machine categories they are certified to operate and confirms the certification body and date of issue.

What the PAL Card Categories Mean

IPAF certification is split into categories based on machine type. The two most relevant for exterior property work are:

• 3a - Mobile Vertical: Scissor lifts and vertical mast platforms. These raise the platform straight up and are suited to flat, open surfaces.
• 3b - Mobile Boom: Cherry pickers, including articulated and telescopic boom lifts. These can reach over obstacles, work at angles and access heights that scissor lifts cannot.
• 1b - Static Boom: Vehicle-mounted platforms and trailer-mounted booms. These are fixed in position once set up but typically offer greater reach - up to 25 metres and beyond.

A contractor working from a cherry picker on your property should hold at minimum a valid 3b PAL card. A contractor operating a truck-mounted platform should hold 1b certification. An operator holding all three has been assessed across the full range of mobile access equipment.

Why Commercial Sites Require IPAF Certification

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that all work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out by competent people. "Competence" in the context of MEWP operation is typically demonstrated by IPAF certification - and most principal contractors, site managers and facilities management companies treat a valid PAL card as the minimum threshold for allowing an operator onto their site.

For domestic property owners, there is no legal requirement to verify certification - but from an insurance and liability perspective, using a certified operator for work at height is substantially safer. If something goes wrong during an uncertified operation, liability questions become considerably more complicated.

What IPAF Training Covers

An IPAF PAL card is not simply a written examination. Training covers:

• Pre-use inspection procedures - checking the platform before each operation
• Site hazard assessment - overhead cables, slopes, ground conditions, wind, ground bearing capacity
• Safe positioning and outrigger deployment
• Emergency descent procedures - how to recover from a mechanical failure at height
• Operating within rated load capacities
• Rescue procedures for a platform that cannot be moved

The practical assessment requires the candidate to demonstrate competence on the actual machine types being certified, not just theoretical knowledge.

Checking a PAL Card

PAL cards include a unique ID number that can be verified via IPAF's online database at www.ipaf.org. Before commissioning work at height, ask the contractor to show their card and check the expiry date and categories listed.

A genuine contractor will have no hesitation providing this - and will expect the question from any commercial client or managing agent running a proper site records process.

ProClean Access and IPAF

Kris Newbould holds current IPAF PAL card certification for the machine categories operated by ProClean Access. Certification documentation is available on request - useful for commercial clients, managing agents, schools and housing associations that maintain contractor records. We carry £10 million public liability insurance. Every job is planned in advance - Kris assesses the site, the access method and any hazards before work begins.