Aerial Work Platforms
Aerial work platforms or AWPs are designed and engineered to elevate employees and their tools to a certain height in order to do a job. The particular unit and manufacturer and kind of machinery all varies. Before aerial work platforms were developed, all tasks which need work at high levels had to be done with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has increased the overall productivity of similar jobs and kept many employees safe.
The three main types of aerial work platforms are scissor lifts, boomlifts and mechanical lifts. These machinery are able to be operated with pneumatics, mechanically making use of a rack and pinion system or with screws or by hydraulics. These models may be self-propelled with controls at the platform, they may be unpowered units requiring an external force to move them or be mounted to a vehicle so as to be transported.
The aerial work platform was developed by John L. Grove, an American industrialist and inventor. However, in 1966, before the very first unit of JLG, a company called Selma Manlift introduced an aerial lift unit.
In the year 1967, after selling his previous company Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove and his wife decided to take a road trip. They decided to stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately witnessed 2 employees electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This tragic event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product which could raise workers safely in the air for them to do 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 together with 2 friends. They immediately began designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new company was named JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their very first aerial work platform during 1970 with the aid of 20 workers.