Third Trade Association Signs Up to Common Assessment Standard

BUILD UK has welcomed the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) as only the third UK Trade Association member to recognise the Common Assessment Standard as part of its audit scheme.

IPAF has incorporated elements of the Standard into its IPAF Rental+ audit, meaning MEWP rental members that are certified to it will be exempted from answering certain questions, further reducing duplication across the industry. IPAF joins a growing list of more than 20 organisations now using the Standard.

Common Assessment Standard

The Common Assessment Standard is a set of pre-qualification questions agreed by the construction industry and developed by Build UK to avoid duplication and unnecessary costs when contractors bid for work and need to prove competence and accreditations. Many main contractors have signed up to the criterion, which was launched in 2021.

Build UK reviews the Standard every year to ensure that it continues to meet the pre-qualification requirements of the construction industry, and Version 3.0 will be published on 31 March.

IPAF Rental+ is the standard for quality and safety in the MEWP rental industry. In 2018, the IPAF UK mandated that all new and existing UK hire rental company members should be audited to meet the required standard as a condition of continuing membership.

IPAF rental member companies are annually assessed against the minimum requirements, which include Safety Systems in Procurement (SSIP) accreditation alongside IPAF’s own stringent criteria to improve industry safety. MEWP rental members in the UK must be annually assessed to meet the IPAF Rental+ standard as a condition of continuing IPAF membership.

IPAF CEO Peter Douglas

Peter Douglas, CEO & MD of IPAF, says: “This alignment means that those IPAF members certified to the Common Assessment Standard will reduce duplication when completing their annual IPAF Rental+ audit. All our other members going through the rigorous IPAF Rental+ audit process will have been assessed to the industry standard, giving contractors that hire equipment and services from our specialist powered access rental members the assurance that they are committed to the highest standards of professionalism and safety. This will mutually benefit our members and the many projects that require the Common Assessment Standard for contractors and operators on site.”

Jo Fautley, Deputy Chief Executive, Build UK, comments: “We’re delighted to see IPAF recognising the Common Assessment Standard within its IPAF Rental+ audit process. With a growing list of organisations including major contractors and clients using the Standard, this will further reduce duplication for the supply chain, saving them time and money which is more important than ever in the current economic market.”

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