An identification card for aerial platform workers could increase safety awareness on the jobsite. The Powered Access Licensed-Registration Card, also known as PAL, identifies workers who have been trained in the safety and operation of booms and scissor lifts.
The card is issued to the worker after he or she has successfully completed the training program developed by Aerial Work Platform Training Inc. In order to pass the training courses, workers must take written and physical tests, and undergo instruction on a specific category of machine. Different instructional categories include the scissor lift, self-propelled boom, vehicle mounted platform, insulated aerial device, mast climbing, trailer/push around and vertical personnel platform.
Aerial Work Platform Training says its program provides added worker safety, reduces downtime, lowers insurance premiums, minimizes damage to machines, provides greater protection from civil and criminal liability and greater productivity.
The card, which is valid for five years after training, features the operator’s photo and signature and security holograph, and lists what specific equipment the person has been trained for. Approximately 110,000 workers have already been issued PAL cards, and more than 120 are issued cards each day.
There are 120 training centers nationwide that provide work platform safety training. For more information, or to find a training center near you, click on the link to the right.
