GENIE® TO LAUNCH NEW OPERATOR PROTECTIVE ALARM SYSTEM FOR BOOM LIFTS AT APEX

Roosendaal, The Netherlands (June 25, 2014) – As part of its commitment to safety, Genie® is showcasing a new electronic overhead protection system - the new Genie® Operator Protective Alarm (OPA), at APEX 2014 on stands 350 & 450. Designed to be as unobtrusive as possible to operators, the OPA is retrofittable onto all Genie® articulating or Genie® telescopic boom lift models manufactured after 2002 available across Europe, The Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEAR).

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This new electronic safety solution is the result of a licensing agreement between Genie and Lavendon Group plc. for its “electronic secondary guarding solution”, also known as the SkySiren®. Based on SkySiren technology, the Genie OPA is a factory-installed option that can be used in conjunction with the Genie® Operator Protective Structure (OPS) introduced in 2012.

“Our customers requested an additional option for operator overhead protection and we are responding by offering the Genie Operator Protective Alarm,” says Carlo Forini, Director of Business Developments & Product Management, Terex Aerial Work Platforms Emear. “By offering the OPA along with the Genie OPS, our customers will be able to configure their machines as best-suited to specific jobsite conditions.”

The new Genie OPA is designed to provide operators optimum freedom of movement. Featuring a pressure sensitive horizontal bar fitted below the boom lift’s control panel at around waist height, the system is activated by pressure, as may be the case if an operator makes contact with an overhead obstacle. When activated, the system interrupts all boom functions and notifies personnel at ground level by means of an audible alarm and visible flashing strobe light signal.

Providing the additional benefit of being transferrable from machine to machine, instead of remaining permanently installed on a single unit, the Genie OPA system also features a reset button that can be pressed if the system is activated inadvertently.

The OPA could come in addition to the mechanical Genie® Operator Protective Structure (OPS), a safety solution that provides secondary overhead protection by means of a tubular steel protective barrier. Providing excellent operator visibility, the Genie OPS can be fitted on its own on Genie® boom lifts equipped with 1,83 m (6’) to 2,44 m (8’) platforms, and is easily fixed with bolts directly onto the boom lift’s platform without prior modification. Weighing only 16 kg (36 lbs), the OPS is a simple mechanical solution designed to transfer kinetic energy into surrounding structures while maintaining a protected area for the operator.