Preventing a Repeat of Notre Dame Tragedy

Words: Dan Kamys

Preventing a Repeat of Notre Dame Tragedy

Preventing a Repeat of Notre Dame TragedyFollowing the recent fatality at the University of Notre Dame, where a student operating a scissor lift was killed when it was blown over by wind gusts, Tim Whiteman, managing director of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) says, “This is a horrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the family of the victim. I say victim, because this was a needless death that proper training should have prevented. Aerials provide the safest way of doing temporary work at height, but everybody in the industry needs to say loudly and clearly that untrained operators should never, ever operate aerials. Our deepest condolences go to everybody who cared about Declan Sullivan.”

To assist people in using and operating aerial devices safely and expand risk-management knowledge for use of these machines, the American Rental Association (ARA), the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) and the Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) have jointly released a “Statement of Best Practices of General Training and Familiarization for Aerial Work Platform Equipment.” This first-of-its-kind industry initiative clarifies what is required for general training and model-specific familiarization of aerial work platform (AWP) equipment. ??

It was launched in February 2010 and addresses:

  • Educating the industry on the industry-recognized-and-supported standards, including the American National Standards Institute/Scaffold Industry Association (ANSI/SIA) A92 Standards and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulations
  • Presenting best practices and minimum general training guidelines for AWP operators
  • Emphasizing the differences between general training and familiarization to all parties responsible
  • Clarifying minimum qualifications of the trainer.

This publication is available free of charge and can be downloaded at www.awpt.org or by calling AWPT at 518-280-2486.

Terminations: The Hardest Part of Leadership
May 2026

Throughout my career, I’ve faced a wide variety of challenges, some technical, some interpersonal, and many that forced me to adapt quickly. These days, most of my work is behind a computer in an office, but the lessons I’ve learned apply wherever I go.

Damian Lang
Business Management
Read More
The Compliance Shield: Navigating the New Standards of Field Oversight
May 2026

The modern job site is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. While the physical act of laying a block remains the core of the trade, the environment surrounding that work is becoming increasingly data-driven. We are moving away from the era o

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
When GEORGE Met BOB: Ironsite Is MCAA's First AI-Centered Cornerstone Partner
May 2026

Earlier this year at World of Concrete, I taught the AI Test Drive class and gave attendees an early look at GEORGE 3.0, which we're set to release later this year. As I was wrapping up the session and people were still asking questions, the team from Iro

Dan Kamys
MAP Partner
Read More
Ironsite Joins Masonry Alliance Program as Newest Cornerstone Partner
May 2026

The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is thrilled to announce that Ironsite will be joining the Masonry Alliance Program (MAP) at the Cornerstone level.

MAP Partner
Read More