Equipment World

December 2017

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EquipmentWorld.com | December 2017 11 N ew standards could soon be coming to the U.S. aerial work platform industry that will lead to major changes to the machines, how rental shops deal with their customers and how contractors plan projects. "The standards change is going to make a huge difference in the way work is done," said Genie President Matt Fearon during a press event October 17 at the company's Okla- homa City plant. The proposed ANSI 92 standards will not only alter machine design, but require additional training and responsibilities for contractors and rental companies. The standards even change the products' names. No longer will they be called aerial work platforms, or AWPs. Instead, they will be known as "MEWPs." That stands for "mobile elevating work platforms." What will the changes mean? Aside from the name change, rental dealerships and contractors will spend more time thinking about the types of aerial devices needed on a job. Currently, the main question is: How high does it need to go? But because the standards will lead to major technological changes to the machines and affect how they perform, contractors and rental shops seeking the right equipment will need to know such things as: What kind of terrain are you on? How much load are you lifting? How far out do you need to reach? "All of those questions are going to need to be a part of that conver- sation," says Adam Hailey, Genie director of product management. For instance, ANSI calls for the machines to be designed to address issues, such as wind effect on load. That may lead some machines to be rated for indoor use only, or out- door-use machines may have more limited working height. Platform capacity would also be affected by the standards. Contrac- tors and rental dealers would need to know how much weight they will actually put on the platform because the machine would auto- matically shut off if it exceeds its rated capacity. Currently, that task is left up to the operator, with many going above rated capacity on job- sites, Hailey says. "If a machine only has 500-pound capacity and you're doing steel work, you may need two machines or more cycles," Hailey says. Hailey notes that machines built before the new ANSI standards will be grandfathered in and not have to be upgraded. The standards also call for more training for platform operators and occupants. When will it happen? So far, it's anybody's guess when the ANSI standards will be pub- lished, after which the industry has one year to comply. A publish date had been expected this year, but appeals of the standards have delayed them. The earliest the standards could be published is January 2018, says Tony Groat, ANSI A92.22 Safe-Use Subcommittee chairman. –Don McLoud reporter | staff report Proposed aerial-lift standards would affect rental dealers, contractors Genie is preparing for future ANSI standards with its XC lineup of aerial work platforms.

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