IPAF certifies first east Africa training centre

Kaileys Consortium becomes first IPAF training centre in east Africa.

Jur Kamsteeg, IPAF’s Benelux representative and also a qualified IPAF senior instructor, and Richard Whiting, IPAF’s UK & Ireland general manager, with responsibility for some other English-speaking nations worldwide, joined Kaileys for its work at height safety week.

During the visit Kamsteeg completed the practical training of four nominated instructors, while Whiting oversaw the company’s training centre audit, and submitted the necessary paperwork.

Whiting said, “This was a fantastic visit to accredit IPAF’s first training centre in Kenya. It was rewarding not only to progress the instructor training and audit process, but also to discuss work at height safety more broadly with Kaileys owner Ken Kogei and his team.”

Also in attendance was Kenya ambassador David Ongesa, country head of Quality, Health, Safety, Security & Environment at Kansai Plascon Kenya, in addition to being president of the Workplace Safety Professionals Association of Kenya (WSPAK).”

First trainees

Once the instructor training had been completed and audit paperwork processed, the IPAF delegation stayed on to observe the first cohorts of trainees receive their IPAF operator instruction and assessments. The first of which were ten training candidates that underwent a two-day operator training course on 3a category machines, followed by a further seven candidates on the same two-day course.

These first IPAF trainees included powered access operators in Kenya’s telecommunications, brewing, titanium, grain-handling, cement, petroleum and energy industries, as well as employees of Mars Wrigley Confectionary and Kenya Airways.

Before the visit was concluded,  Whiting was invited by Ken Kogei to meet Dr Andrew Muruka of the Directorate of Occupational Safety & Health Services (DOSHS), a department of Kenya’s Ministry of Labour, to discuss work at height safety, powered access operator training, recognition and acceptance of the IPAF PAL Card and partnering to create a safe-use of MEWPs code of practice for Kenya.

It was agreed at the meeting that a memorandum of understanding to this effect should be signed between IPAF and DOSHS.

Whiting added, “This visit helped set the template for the way IPAF is able to support the establishment of quality training in emerging powered access markets. It was a pleasure and privilege to be invited to attend along with Jur to visit one of IPAF’s newest global members and to learn about the culture of Kenya, which in turn sets the context of quality operator training and the way work at height safety is being improved in the country.

“We also look forward to fulfilling the agreement to sign an MOU with the country’s regulatory health & safety body DOSHS, and to assist in the establishment of new national MEWP safety guidance and recognition of quality training in the form of the IPAF PAL Card.”