IPAF rolls out e-PAL app internationally

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has rolled out its new ePAL app for MEWP operators into 26 new regions around the world.

The free-to-use app, which was successfully launched in the UK and the Republic of Ireland earlier this year, provides users with a digital version of the federation’s operator licence.

It also gives operators access to best practice tips and safety information, and lets them share their “qualifications with site managers quickly and easily”.

Peter Douglas, IPAF CEO and Managing Director, said, “The new app helps reduce the number of steps in processing a PAL Card, cutting needless delays and carbon emissions involved in shipping items around the globe for all IPAF Training Centres”.

Described as “a major a step forward in IPAF’s ongoing drive to boost sustainability”, the roll-out of the app is part of IPAF’s efforts to shift away from using both paper certification and its plastic PAL Cards, to reduce the organisation’s environmental impact.

ePAL is now available in Bahrain, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, UAE and Zambia.

The app, which was co-developed by fleet management specialist Trackunit, is also intended to help speed up the processing time associated with PAL Cards and certifications for access equipment trainees.

Søren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit, said, “The app is performing brilliantly and allows IPAF to communicate directly with operators, for whom it offers a digital platform to record, show and share their qualifications and operating experience.

“We are also using the app to encourage and make it easier to report an accident or near-miss incident through the IPAF reporting portal. My hope is we can all contribute to building a safer, digital future for operators; pushing the app out into more territories is another significant step forward.”

According to IPAF, ePAL is currently being translated into more languages and will be rolled out in additional countries later this year.

From 22 November 2021, the app will be available to users in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Uruguay, before being further expanded into other areas – such as North America, Austria, Brazil, Germany and Italy – in January of 2022.