26.06.2023

10,000th OverWatch

Australian safety systems supplier, EQSS (Equipment Safety Systems has delivered its 10,000th OverWatch, the secondary guarding solution for scissor lifts.

The OverWatch system was launched in Australia in 2020, and can, we are told, be installed in around 20 minutes on machines from manufacturers that have approved the system - with includes all of the majors. Haulotte is the first to offer it as a factory install option on its new scissor lifts produced in France and China.

The OverWatch system is based on a Lidar sensor, which uses an infrared light beam to track the operator’s movements. The system analyses the operator’s position and movement in relation to the motion of the scissor lift. It can then determine when an operator has moved abruptly or is in a dangerous position, either of which will immediately stop the machine, usually without using the operator as a mechanical element to trigger the anti-crush device.
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The EQSS system on a JLG scissor lift

The system was introduced to Europe just over a year ago and is now CE certified and apparently already generating considerable interest.
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(L-R) Damien Gautier of Haulotte, Scott Daly of JLG, Andrew Delahunt of EQSS, Peter Davis of Coates Hire, James Nightingale of Skyreach, Keith Clarke of Haulotte, Kieren Grogan of EQSS and Shaun O’Brien of Genie with their trophies

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EQSS presented commemorative trophies to scissor lift manufacturers and rental companies at the HIRE 23 exhibition in Sydney in late May.

Managing director Ross Bowden said: “We take comfort in knowing that 10,000 scissor lifts are now fitted with OverWatch secondary guarding. When we consider that multiple people can jump onto a scissor each day, it is a high number of workers who have been protected by OverWatch.”

“Crush protection was initially introduced on boom lifts more than 10 years ago and is now the industry norm. It is so important that scissor lift operators have that same level of protection. Every single OverWatch that is installed onto a scissor lift is one more step towards helping workers return safely to their families at the end of each workday.”
The video below shows how the system works