Aerial Work Platforms
Aerial work platforms or AWPs are engineered and designed to elevate employees and their gear to a certain height in order to finish a task. The specific model and manufacturer and type of machine all varies. Before aerial work platforms were made, all jobs requiring work at high levels needed to be done with scaffolding. Therefore, the invention of aerial work platforms has kept many workers safe and increased the overall productivity of similar tasks.
There are 3 key kinds of aerial work platforms. They are boomlifts, mechanical lifts and scissorlifts. These equipment can be operated with pneumatics, mechanically utilizing 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 needing an external force to move them or be mounted to a vehicle so as to be transported.
John L. Grove was an American industrialist and inventor who is widely credited to developing the aerial work platform. However, during 1966, before JLG's very first unit, a company called Selma Manlift launched an aerial lift unit.
In 1967, after selling his previous company Grove Manufacturing, John L. Grove together with 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 workers electrocuted while they were working on scaffolding. This terrible incident led John Grove to discover an untapped market for a new product that could raise workers safely in the air for them to perform construction and maintenance jobs in a better way.
When John returned home from his trip, he bought a small metal fabrication company and formed a partnership with 2 friends. They immediately started designing ideas for the aerial work platform. The new business was named JLG Industries Inc. They proudly launched their very first aerial work platform in the year 1920 with the aid of 20 employees.