AerialWrap Maintains Safety and Security in Unoccupied Lifts

Enlarge Image The AerialWrap was designed to prevent kids from climbing on aerial lifts.

May 9, 2007 • While attending his 11-year-old son's basketball game, Adrian Stevens noticed the close score wasn't the only thing holding the crowd's attention. The school district owned a small fleet of aerial work platforms, and one of the machines was parked in the school gymnasium while the game was in play. “Kids were climbing all over it,” he said. “I thought that someone was going to get hurt.” Stevens' concerns lead to a meeting with the school, which later gave him an idea for a product that would increase aerial lift safety and deter theft.

Semi-retired from the restaurant business, Stevens had no previous experience with the lifting equipment industry, but the wheels started turning after his conversation with the school. His idea: Designing an aerial cover that would keep the machine safe from unwanted users and protect it from the elements.

 

Stevens' first AerialWrap prototype was introduced in 2005, and “it basically looked like a giant barbecue cover,” he said. First targeting aerial lifts used in schools, he asked for feedback among custodians and other personnel and learned that the cover was difficult to put on the lifts. The second AerialWrap prototype incorporated a zipper and lockable cover. “The cover can be quickly zipped and locked on in 30 seconds,” Stevens said.

Enlarge Image The waterproof AerialWrap cover protects the control panel from harsh conditions.

 

In addition to safety, Stevens saw the opportunity to use the AerialWrap as a promotional tool and began offering custom colors, as well as adding school names and logos. He also realized that commercial contractors and rental companies could benefit from having their names and phone numbers on the side of the machine, not only for advertising purposes but also to deter theft. “It prevents ‘midnight borrowing,'” he said. “The custom cover and cable lock make it less inviting for theft.”

Today, AerialWrap offers seven different polyvinyl, flame-retardant covers that fit 97 percent of all aerial lifts on the market, Stevens said. The company's original product, the Sta-Safe Security cover, features the patent-pending integrated zipper entry and cable locking system that allows for one-person installation. It is also waterpro

Enlarge Image AerialWrap also offers a harness bag that keeps fall protection in a safe place.

of, stays flexible in freezing weather, is puncture resistant, and resists dirt, oil, salt, acid, chemicals and grease. For extreme environments, the AerialWrap DuraMax all-weather cover offers the same benefits as the Sta-Safe a nd preserves paint and decals up to five times longer.

 

Other AerialWrap products include a boom lift platform cover designed to protect 4-, 6-, or 8-foot platforms from snow, ice, and rain; a telehandler cab enclosure that protects the instrument panel, controls, and seat from the elements; a harness bag that keeps fall pro tection in a safe place; a control box cover for boom lifts and RT scissor lifts; a lift tray organizer for scissor lifts to keep tools at arm's length; and lift lockout for push-around aerial lifts.

Headquartered in Fort Myers, Fla., AerialWrap offers a limited lifetime warranty on workmanship. Prices range from $400 to $700 per cover, which Stevens said is “just pennies compared to the cost of the machine.”

For more information, go to www.aerialwrap.com.