IPAF storytelling initiative to shape industry safety

Discussing his motivation to share his story, Hirst said, “I took inspiration from IPAF president Karel Huijser when, during his inaugural speech at the IPAF Summit in Copenhagen, he spoke about the power of storytelling. His message stuck with me.

“When we tell a story that’s rooted in a real-life event, we let listeners into that moment. We feel the atmosphere, we gain a deeper understanding of how things occurred.

“Stories truly create lasting memories, deliver valuable lessons, and, most importantly, spark change. That’s what we are hoping to achieve with the #ShareYourStory campaign.”

A Story That Could Have Been a Tragedy

Ben Hirst at IPAF’s Elevation UK event. (Photo: IPAF).

In his Elevation presentation, Hirst shared a personal and eye-opening account from his time leading Horizon Platforms. His story, now central to IPAF’s #ShareYourStory campaign, serves as a vivid reminder of how real-world experiences can enhance training, raise safety awareness, and ultimately save lives.

Hirst recounted an incident that occurred on a brisk morning at Horizon’s facility in West Yorkshire. At 5:15 a.m., a driver team was preparing a 26-tonne vehicle for delivery to Manchester. Despite following recognised good practices at the start of the job, a critical lapse occurred when a JLG Power Tower lift, weighing more than 340kg, was incorrectly loaded onto the vehicle.

The winch was detached prematurely, leaving the lift unsecured and relying solely on the pedestrian brake to hold it in place. However, the pedestrian brake failed to hold, causing the PAV to slide down the ramp and fall over, narrowly missing staff involved in the loading process.

Had the lift collided with anyone at the base of the ramp, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident serves as a stark reminder of how easily accidents can happen when loading or unloading Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs).

Hirst explained: “What we don’t see from the footage [of the incident] is that the platform was reloaded without proper inspection by a qualified engineer, and the driver headed off to site.

“It was only after another driver, who was feeling increasingly uncomfortable, reported his concerns to the transport manager that the delivery was thankfully stopped before the machine reached its destination. This prevented a potential chain reaction of negative events.”

While this incident did not result in a tragedy, Hirst highlighted the opportunity it presents for the industry:

“I believe we can make a real shift in the culture of our industry – a shift towards transparency, storytelling, and learning from situations when things did not go so well.”

The Power of learning from real-life experiences

Hirst’s story is now part of an animated video analysis, created by IPAF, that illustrates what went wrong and what should have been done differently. The video breaks down the incident and demonstrates how storytelling can turn mistakes into valuable lessons for the entire industry.

Hirst hopes this approach will encourage a culture of shared learning and transparency, inspiring industry professionals to reflect on their own experiences and contribute to a growing knowledge base that prevents future accidents.

Join the #ShareYourStory Campaign

Hirst’s story is just one of many that could inspire safety improvements across the powered access industry.

IPAF’s #ShareYourStory campaign invites professionals to share their own experiences – whether incidents, near-misses, or lessons learned. By contributing, you play a crucial role in creating impactful safety and training materials that resonate globally.

If you have a story that could help improve safety in the powered access industry, visit www.ipaf.org/shareyourstory.