Aerial Work Platforms
The aerial work platform or AWP is a machine engineered and designed to raise employees and gear to a certain height for the completion of tasks. The kind of equipment varies with the specific make and unit. Before aerial work platforms were made, all tasks requiring work at high levels had to be done with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept many workers safe and increased the overall productivity of similar jobs.
There are 3 main kinds of aerial work platforms. They are scissor lifts, boomlifts and mechanical lifts. These kinds of equipment can be operated with pneumatics, mechanically utilizing a pinion and rack system or by hydraulics or with screws. These units may be self-propelled with controls situated at the platform, they may be unpowered units which require an external force to move them or be mounted to a vehicle so as to be transported.
John L. Grove was an American inventor and industrialist who is widely credited to devising the aerial work platform. Nonetheless, during the year 1966, prior to JLG's first model, a company called Selma Manlift introduced an aerial lift unit.
During 1967, after selling his previous company 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 event led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product that could safely lift employees in the air for them to do construction and maintenance tasks in a better way.
When John returned home from his trip, he bought a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership along with 2 friends. They soon began designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new business was called JLG Industries Inc. They proudly launched their first aerial work platform in 1970 with the aid of 20 workers.