Australia-based global manufacturer Equipment Safety Systems (EQSS) is celebrating the delivery of its 10,000th OverWatch, the secondary guarding solution for scissor lifts. OverWatch is a device that monitors the operator’s position and stops the machine if the operator becomes at risk of being crushed against the scissor lift controls.

To recognise the support of the industry in reaching this safety milestone, EQSS presented commemorative trophies to scissor lift manufacturers and rental companies at the Hire23 exhibition that took place in Sydney last May.

“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,” said Ross Bowden, managing director of EQSS.

“Crush protection was initially introduced more than 10 years ago on boom lifts and is now the industry norm. It is so important that scissor lift operators have that same level of protection.”

Designed to be human-centric, the OverWatch crush protection device utilises a LiDAR sensor to detect the operator’s position and movements and intervenes only when their safety is compromised. It does not interfere with normal operation of the scissor lift; instead, it continuously monitors the operator’s position using an infrared light beam. The system can determine when an operator has moved abruptly or is in a dangerous position, either of which will immediately stop the lift

EQSS has received the approval of all major aerial lift manufacturers to install OverWatch on their machines and is CE certified. Haulotte now offers OverWatch as a factory-install option on its latest generation of scissor lifts produced at its facilities in France and China.

Mr Bowden added, “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. We are grateful for the support of the OEMs and rental companies in helping promote our crush protection solution and wanted to take this opportunity to recognise them as we have achieved this fantastic milestone.”

Launched by EQSS in 2020, many of the OverWatch devices in operation are currently within the Australian rental industry; however, EQSS has recently begun delivering OverWatch into international markets. Rental companies and major contractors in the UK, US, Singapore, Japan and Europe have already embraced the solution and it can be found on increasing number of jobsites worldwide.

This video gives a better understanding of how the OverWatch system works.