IPAF North America at Working at Height 2025 in Nashville

IPAF North America hosted the Working at Height Conference & Awards on 15 – 16 October 2025, at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee – bringing together industry leaders from construction, utilities, manufacturing, and equipment rental sectors to share innovations, insights, and best practices for safer and more efficient work at height.

The two-day event featured keynote presentations, expert panels, and networking opportunities, all focused on advancing safety leadership and elevating standards in the powered access industry.

The event began with a special VIP Working at Height Tour at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, where guests explored the rich history and evolution of American music, a fitting prelude to Nashville’s role as the home of creativity and collaboration.

IPAF also hosted the North American Council (NARC) meeting, celebrating strong growth in 2025, with rising membership and IPAF training numbers across the region.

“A huge thank you to our Council volunteers for their dedication and support in helping IPAF keep the powered access industry safer and stronger,” said Peter Douglas, CEO and managing director of IPAF.

Industry insights

The conference opened with a keynote from Norty Turner, past president of IPAF and president of Sunstate Equipment, who spoke on building a strong workplace culture through alignment, accountability, and trust.

“Culture is cultivating the space between alignment and accountability,” Turner said, encouraging leaders to create clarity, ownership, and a sense of purpose that inspires results.

Nicole McGregor of Ducker Carlisle provided an in-depth MEWP Market Forecast, noting that after a period of stabilization in 2024, modest growth is expected through 2026, particularly driven by data centre construction and infrastructure investment.

“Moving into 2026, anything is possible,” McGregor said, emphasizing cautious optimism as rental companies adapt to cyclical changes and shifting demand.

A highlight of the program was Steve Hawkins, chief operations director of FDRsafety LLC, whose powerful talk, Transforming the Safety Mindset from’“Have To’ to ‘Want To’” underscored the personal impact of safety as he shared his experience of a fatality at work.

With a touch of humour and a lot of heart, Steve delivered an unforgettable reminder: safety is personal, encouraging attendees to discuss and connect with him on the matter. He emphasized that safety rules are lifelines, not obstacles, and urged attendees to embrace a culture where safety is a personal commitment, not a compliance checkbox.

Dr Chastity Lasley-Williams energized the audience with The Secret to a Successful Apprenticeship, highlighting the importance of collaboration between industry and education to strengthen the workforce pipeline.

Pat Schmetzer from MEC AWP explored Equipment Innovation and Evolution in MEWPs, defining true innovation as “creating something genuinely new that adds significant value to workers, organizations, or the MEWP industry.”  

Technology and digital transformation were central themes throughout the conference.
Matt Skipworth, VP of Global Service & Digital Solutions at Genie, presented AI + XR: Reimagining Working at Height, showcasing how artificial intelligence and extended reality are making worksites safer and more efficient through predictive maintenance, virtual training, and data-driven insights.

“The future isn’t about AI replacing the worker – it’s about AI making their job safer and easier,” said Matt. “If we embrace it, we’ll see an era of unprecedented safety, efficiency, and profitability.”

Terry Allen, CEO of Serious Industrial Motion Simulators, continued the theme with Training for Tomorrow, Today, outlining four steps to transform MEWP safety training through AI-driven competency modelling, immersive simulation, and data analytics.

A roundtable discussion featuring TJ Lyons (Lyonetics), Peter Dagsvik (Atlantic Building Restoration), and Tony Groat (IPAF) explored ways to enhance productivity and safety across the powered access sector.

IPAF’s head of Safety, Brian Parker, also announced the launch of a new US safety campaign, How to Stay Safe On or Near Roadways, aimed at reducing vehicle and equipment collisions involving MEWPs.

“Although MEWPs remain one of the safest ways to work at height, data shows an increase in roadway-related incidents,” Brian noted. “Correct setup and continued reporting are vital to preventing accidents.”

Closing the day, Luke Sylvia, regional sales manager for MIPS, delivered an insightful session on New Technologies in Safety Headwear for Construction, revealing that “the average direct costs associated with a concussion are $54,571.” His presentation underscored the importance of selecting the right protective equipment and staying informed about advancements in helmet safety.

IPAF president Karel Huijser concluded the conference by running through his highlights of the day, with the final remarks: “When storytelling defends liability, we repeat mistakes. When it drives learning, we prevent them.”