On one project where our people worked alongside another company’s team, a worker from the other crew had his safety harness fitted incorrectly. He fell from roughly two metres. He was lucky — it ended without serious injury.
Incidents like that are not chance. They are the consequence of how a company selects, trains and supervises its installers on site. Yet when choosing an installation contractor, the conversation is dominated by price, timeline and capacity — while the team’s training level is just as decisive.
Missing or expired certifications are not merely an administrative problem. They are a direct risk factor that can shut down an entire project — through the customer’s safety manager or a labour inspectorate. Either way, you bear the cost of the downtime.
Why IPAF and TÜV SCC Certifications Are Not Just Paperwork
A certificate that sits in a folder as insurance against inspections is not enough. What decides is the combination of practice, regular training and the right mindset. The key areas every platform and racking installer should have thoroughly covered:
- Working at height — correct use of safety harnesses, anchor points, fall arrest systems
- MEWP and IPAF certification — safe operation of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, stabilisation, load management
- Basic health and safety — hazard identification, accident response procedure, communication with the site safety coordinator
- TÜV SCC international certification — systemic safety for workers on industrial projects, recognised across Europe
IPAF certification is an internationally recognised standard for MEWP operation. Without it, a worker cannot legally operate a platform on a large share of European projects — a real constraint, not a theoretical one. Customers in Germany, the Netherlands or Scandinavia require it as a condition of site entry.
TÜV SCC goes further — it is a systemic certification that verifies not only individual knowledge but the overall safety culture of the organisation. For a facility manager, it is one of the most reliable signals that a contractor takes safety seriously at system level, not just per project.
The Difference Between Certification on Paper and Real Qualification
The wrong approach: obtain a certificate and file it away. The right approach: training as a continuous process that raises the real level of people on site.
Certifications expire — an IPAF card is typically valid for 5 years, TÜV SCC is renewed on cycles depending on the specific standard — and validity is tracked proactively, not after a customer flags it. A continuous approach means:
- Ongoing recertification — training covers less obvious scenarios too (uneven ground, greater installation heights, parallel warehouse operation)
- Tracking changes to standards and regulations — EN 15635 (more in our article on racking inspections), national H&S legislation in target countries
- Internal knowledge sharing — what happened on projects, what worked, what did not
A company that keeps investing in its people sends a clear signal: it wants to hold a high standard long term. The profile we look for at JTB STORAGE is described on our careers page.
What a Well-Prepared Team Looks Like in Practice
You can recognise a good installation team by the way it enters a project:
- Transparency before work begins — certifications are documented before arrival on site as a standard part of project preparation. A contractor who treats that as an unreasonable demand is a warning sign.
- Day one on site — the lead installer walks the project, sets the site rules, identifies specific risks and briefs the workers.
- Ongoing supervision — the team leader checks compliance with standards every day, not just at the start.
Communication as a Quality Factor: Why English Matters
A large share of racking installations in Europe are international projects. If the team leader cannot communicate clearly with the customer’s safety coordinator, misunderstandings follow — and they often cost half a day of lost time. That is why we track not only technical knowledge but language skills too — especially for lead installers, the customer’s direct contact on site.
Questions to Ask When Selecting a Racking Installation Contractor
If you are choosing an installation company and want to verify the team’s real preparedness, ask about:
- Which specific training the workers have completed — concrete answers (IPAF, TÜV SCC, H&S), not just “we’re all certified”
- Whether certifications can be documented up front — not only after the contract is signed
- How the safety briefing works on day one — who leads it, what it covers
- Who monitors compliance with standards during the project — the team leader, or nobody?
- How the company handles certification renewals — actively tracked, or only when flagged?
- How many workers in the team communicate in English — especially on international or cross-border projects
The answers will give you a better picture of a contractor’s real quality than any list of references.
FAQ
What is the difference between IPAF certification and TÜV SCC?
IPAF (International Powered Access Federation) is a professional qualification for the safe operation of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWP). TÜV SCC (Safety Certificate Contractors) is a systemic certification — it examines the overall safety culture, company processes as well as worker knowledge. Both matter, but they address different levels of safety.
As a customer, do I need to check whether installer certifications are valid?
You don’t have to — but it is reasonable to ask. A professional installation contractor documents valid certifications before work begins; failing that is a signal about its internal processes.
What happens if a valid IPAF certification is missing on site?
In many EU countries and for major customers, IPAF is a condition of site entry. Without it, a worker cannot legally operate MEWP equipment — platforms stand idle and installation stops. The contractor bears the downtime cost, but the delay hits your schedule.
Related reading: Safety Induction for Racking Installation: Practical Checklist — what to prepare as a facility manager before the installation crew arrives.
JTB STORAGE — racking installation across more than 16 European countries. Contact us for a consultation on your project or explore our open positions.