Genie releases contact alarm prototype for scissor and vertical mast lifts

Elevating work platform specialist, Genie, has taken the cover off its Lift Guard Contact Alarm prototype for its GS range of slab scissor lifts and GR, GRC and QS series vertical masts at the HIRE18 show in Brisbane in May.

The prototype has also been shown to customers in the UK and North America. It is similar to Genie’s alarm system now available on its range of boom lifts, but specifically designed for use on scissor lifts and vertical masts.

The Lift Guard Contact Alarm is an electronic secondary guarding solution designed to activate when an obstruction contacts activation whiskers mounted to the lift’s platform guardrails – one at the front and one at the rear- alerting operators, occupants and ground personnel to a potential hazard.

“Operator safety and productivity are key considerations in the Genie design process,” said Genie National Product Support Manager, Tim Merritt.

“The Genie Lift Guard Contact Alarm system for slab scissors and vertical mast lifts is designed to supplement a trained operator’s situational awareness and provide a secondary layer of guarding while working at height.

“Showing this prototype during HIRE18 gives us the opportunity to engage with Genie customers and end users, gaining feedback from them so we can tailor our future protective solution offerings to best meet their needs and expectations.”

How it works

The Genie Lift Guard Contact Alarm system for slab scissors and vertical mast lifts is designed to activate when an activation whisker is deflected by an obstruction, triggering the limit switch in the base of the assembly.

When the system is activated, all machine motion will stop, an alarm will sound, and beacons will flash.

The operator will be able to continue driving or elevating the platform into the desired working position after acknowledging the activation system and machine stopped condition.

According to Merritt, a free-movement zone will exist between the activation whisker and guardrail, to allow mobility for operators and occupants after the system is activated.

The Genie Lift Guard Contact Alarm system for slab scissor lifts and vertical mast lifts will go into production in late 2018.

A retrofit kit will be available at time of production to allow for compatibility with Genie Smart Link system-enabled scissor lifts and vertical masts produced from 2011-2018.