For the first time, two separate PDS events were held in the North and in the South to cater to the growing number of attendees. More than 120 instructors attended the PDS in Oxfordshire on 21 September while more than 110 attended the PDS in Bolton on 23 September.
The PDS is the annual event for IPAF qualified instructors and ensures that they remain up-to-date with legislation and training in the use of powered access equipment. It is a forum for the exchange of information between those who manage and those who deliver the training. Through attending the event, instructors gain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points, necessary to maintain their IPAF instructor status.
The attendees heard excellent presentations by Joy Jones, Health & Safety Executive (HSE) principal inspector, on the recently published Best Practice Guide on the use of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) in confined overhead spaces; Chris Wraith, UK Quality, Health and Safety Manager of the Lavendon Group, who spoke on the correct use of spreader plates; and John Hallows, training advisor from ConstructionSkills, who gave an update on the grants system.
Other PDS events will follow in the next months across several countries.
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