The International Powered Access Federation’s (IPAF) Smart PAL Card has won the Plantworx Innovation Award for safety.
The latest version of the Powered Access Licence (PAL) card, which was introduced by IPAF in 2014 and standardised at the beginning of this year, features an embedded chip that contains an array of data concerning the cardholder and the aerial work platforms that he or she is qualified to operate.
Under the Plantworx Innovation Awards, organised by the UK’s Construction Equipment Association (CEA), the Smart Pal Card also won a silver award in the ‘Elite’ category, and was highly commended in the ‘Security’ category.
Devised and issued by IPAF, the PAL scheme provides industry-recognised, accredited training for professionals who work at height. The Smart PAL Card can be used in conjunction with card readers fitted to machines to ensure that only correctly trained operators use aerial work platforms (AWPs).
The Plantworx gong is the second major accolade for IPAF’s Smart PAL Card, which won a Lifting Equipment and Aerial Platforms (LLEAP) Award in the Aftermarket Support Products & Services category in 2014.
IPAF has stated that it will use the Plantworx exhibition, which will take place from the 2-4 June 2015 in the UK, to demonstrate how its smartcard can be used to improve onsite safety.
