Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machine designed and engineered to raise employees and gear to a particular height for the completion of jobs. The kind of equipment varies with the particular make and model. Before aerial work platforms were made, all tasks needing work at high levels needed to be carried out with scaffolding. Thus, the invention of aerial work platforms has increased the overall productivity of similar tasks and kept a lot of workers safe.
There are 3 main kinds of aerial work platforms. They are boomlifts, mechanical lifts and scissorlifts. These types of machinery are able to be operated with pneumatics, mechanically utilizing a rack and pinion system or with screws or by hydraulics. These models may be self-propelled with controls situated at the platform, they may be unpowered models which require an external force to move them or be mounted to a vehicle in order to be transported.
The aerial work platform was devised by John L. Grove, an American industrialist and inventor. However, in 1966, before the first model of JLG, a company called Selma Manlift introduced an aerial lift unit.
During the year 1967, after selling his previous business Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove and his wife decided to take a road trip. They opted to make a stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately saw 2 employees electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This terrible event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product that could safely lift employees in the air for them to perform construction and maintenance jobs in a better way.
Once John returned home from his vacation, he purchased a small metal fabrication business and formed a partnership along with 2 friends. They soon started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new company was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly launched their first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 workers.