Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machinery designed and engineered to elevate employees and gear to a particular height for the completion of jobs. The type of machine varies with the specific brand and model. Before aerial work platforms were made, all tasks which need work at high levels had to be carried out with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept numerous workers safe and increased the overall productivity of similar jobs.
The three main types of aerial work platforms are scissor lifts, boomlifts and mechanical lifts. These kinds of machines could be operated with pneumatics, mechanically via a rack and pinion system or with screws or by hydraulics. These units 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 devised by John L. Grove, an American industrialist and inventor. Nevertheless, in 1966, prior to JLG's first model, a company called Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift model.
In 1967, after selling his previous business Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove along with his wife decided to take a road trip. They decided to make a stop at Hoover Dam. While the couple was there, Grove unfortunately witnessed 2 workers electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This terrible incident led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product which could safely raise employees in the air for them to perform maintenance and construction tasks in a better way.
John purchased a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership together with 2 friends, when he returned home from his trip. The small business soon started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new company was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly released their first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 workers.