Conference Explores Safer Working at Height

The International Powered Access Federation's annual event in Orlando brought together 120 industry delegates to discuss aerial work safety.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Health and Wellness

Isometric editorial illustration of a single steel scissor-lift work platform with guardrails raised on flat ground, rendered in oxblood, teal, and mustard, evoking safety practices for work at height. — Delegates at the International Powered Access Federation's Working at Height Conference in Orlando this week discussed shifting aerial work safety from compliance toward a culture of genuine commitment. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The International Powered Access Federation held its Working at Height Conference & Awards at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando, drawing 120 delegates from equipment rental, manufacturing, technology and safety management. Working at Height Awards were presented to winners in multiple categories at the close of the event.

Why it matters

The gathering brings together stakeholders across the aerial work platform industry to share practices that aim to reduce workplace injuries from work at height. For Orlando, it places a regional hospitality venue at the center of a national conversation on construction and equipment safety.

The event drew 120 delegates from equipment rental, manufacturing, technology and safety management. No prior-year attendance or other comparison figures were reported in the source material.

The players

International Powered Access Federation

The IPAF is an international trade body representing the powered access industry and promoting safe working at height through training and standards.

FDR Safety

FDR Safety is a company whose chief operating officer, Steve Hawkins, spoke at the conference about safety culture.

Trackunit

Trackunit is a telematics company that provides equipment tracking and usage data for construction and rental fleets.

Geotab

Geotab is a telematics and fleet management technology company whose representative presented case studies on fleet data and predictive safety.

The details

Speakers addressed moving from a compliance-driven 'have to' safety culture toward a 'want to' culture, turning company policy into aerial work platform safety programs, and using equipment usage data and pre-use checks. Presentations also covered fleet data and predictive safety models, followed by a market overview and standards discussion before awards were presented.

The conference took place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando, with the article about it published November 10, 2026.
Awards were presented at the close of the event.

Health Landscape

Industry-led safety forums such as the IPAF Working at Height Conference are a recurring mechanism for reducing fall-related injuries in aerial work. The shift from compliance to culture-based safety reflects a broader move in occupational health toward measurable, data-driven prevention.

Workers operating aerial lifts and platforms may see changes in how employers train them and monitor equipment use. Employers and crews can use the conference's emphasis on pre-use checks and written safety programs as a practical benchmark for reducing fall risk on job sites.

The takeaway

Safer work at height depends on a workplace culture where crews want to follow safety practices, not just comply with them. Workers and employers can strengthen this by making pre-use equipment checks a routine part of every shift.