Terex Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) is participating in OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, May 8-12, by introducing the new Genie interactive tool that calculates aerial lifts current capacity limits to help educate customers on how the new technology will impact equipment safe use and productivity. Changes to ANSI A92 and CSA B354 standards in North America are coming within the next year, and one of the more significant equipment changes is the addition of platform load sensing technology. Because Genie Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs), formerly known as Aerial Work Platforms, are manufactured in compliance with the most current standards, it is important for contractors to understand how new aerial lifts, including Genie articulating and telescoping boom lifts, scissor lifts and low-level access lifts, will operate under the updated standards. The tool can be accessed online at www.genielift.com/xc.
“The purpose of OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down is to raise awareness of work at height best practices in construction applications. Safety is at the core of the Genie culture,” says Marie Engstrom, Genie Product Manager, Terex AWP, “and by participating in the OSHA National Safety Stand-Down efforts, we can continue to increase our customers' awareness about the proper use of aerial equipment on the jobsite.
“Our goal at Genie with this new interactive tool is to educate rental companies and end users of the ANSI A92 and CSA B354 standards update that mandate equipment be equipped with platform load sense technology,” adds Engstrom. “Platform load sense technology assesses the weight of operators and equipment in the work platform and will only allow machine operation if the total load is within the rated capacity of the MEWP. Equipment with a load sensing system will monitor the weight in the work platform and disable functionality if the rated capacity is exceeded.”
The new Genie interactive tool provides site visitors the opportunity to choose different materials, attachments and operators of various sizes to “place” into and on the virtual boom platform. The interactive then calculates the weight of materials, attachments and operators. If the load capacity of platform exceeds the machine's rated capacity, the virtual boom lift will not lift the load, highlighting how new industry-mandated platform load sense technology will disable machine function if the load is above the platform load limit. If the load capacity of the platform is within the machine's rated capacity, the virtual boom lift will be available to operate within its operating envelope.
“Our new interactive tool offers a visual representation of how boom lift platforms can be loaded to reach capacity,” says Engstrom. “It is another way that we at Genie are working to call attention to the updates in the North American standards and educate customers on how Genie boom lifts equipped with the new platform load sense technology will operate.”
The new platform load sensing technology requires additional systems on the machine, as well as service and training. According to Engstrom, Genie has been proactively working on a response to implementing the new load sense requirements across its entire aerial work platforms product range to offer effective, robust and reliable solutions worldwide. “For example, the new Genie Xtra Capacity (XC) boom lifts are purpose-built to comply with the overload restriction guidelines in the ANSI A92 and CSA B354 industry standards in North America, as well as the current European EN280 and Australian AS 1418.1 standards,” she says. “The new interactive tool will give contractors insight into how Genie has applied the new standards into the Genie XC boom lifts.”
Standards in North America are changing significantly, and MEWPs operators can benefit from the opportunity to be more educated of what is changing and how it will affect them. The Genie interactive tool is designed to be an engaging way to share information on the changes, as well as how to apply and follow these changes when using Genie aerial equipment. Genie also offers high-level information regarding the ANSI A92 and CSA B354 changes through a video presentation, which can be accessed at http://terex.wistia.com/medias/wkvcya7ko8#, as well as with additional information and resources at http://aerialpros.genielift.com/category/mewp-standard/.
For more information on OSHA's Safety Stand-Down efforts, visit http://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/.
To access the Genie interactive tool, as well as to gain more information on Genie Xtra Capacity boom lifts, visit www.genielift.com/xc.
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