Innovative Product Award, Miscellaneous Category Winner: Innovative Access Solutions Mobile Work Platform for Traffic Control
Category: Miscellaneous
Manufacturer: Innovative Access Solutions
Product Name: Mobile Work Platform for Traffic Control
Key Innovation: This device provides a much safer method to construction workers as they place and retrieve traffic cones. It is likely the only device of its kind that has successfully been ANSI-tested and built using OSHA guidelines.
Manufacturer’s description: Our MWP-TC is OSHA compliant and ANSI A92 rated for aerial platforms. This Mobile Work Platform for Traffic Control is constructed with lightweight aluminum and is utilized to deploy and retrieve traffic control devices, like cones and drums. Our platform makes the job more efficient, quicker, and safer. For added strength we have designed a steel underride support system to provide an ANSI rating of 1000 pounds working load capacity. This has given our product the ability for such capacity that it allows for two workers to be inside the unit as they can work in a safe and efficient manner.
Aggressive slip resistant Grip Strut flooring alongside our OSHA compliant inward opening handrails provide a safe workspace for construction and road workers. The MWP-TC is outfitted with warning, work, and DOT lighting for high visibility while in use. It is also outfitted with an adjustable hitch to give the users 6 inches of height adjustment. Towing an arrow panel to the job site does not require a second truck as the MWP-TC has a rear towing receiver and 4-, 5-, or 7-pin trailer connector for DOT lighting.
Two leveling arms are connected to the platform that apply pressure to the truck bed for stabilization, and the pivot plate design allows the arms to be set and locked into place for a secure ride. Along with our standard lighting package on the MWP-TC we also have the option for Connected Tech through iCone, a system that alerts GPS users that road work is happening ahead. We also have one powered switch that can be utilized to operate any 12- volt accessory you would like to attach to our unit. A center step makes for easy access into the bed of the pick-up truck it is attached to.
RER interviews Richard Plush, product manager, Innovative Access Solutions:
You see people riding in the back of truck beds leaning over and dropping off cones or picking them up. Unfortunately, injuries occur and that’s why the Mobile Work Platform for Traffic Control is a safer way, having been ANSI-tested and built according to OSHA guidelines.
“It would usually be somebody sitting in the bed of a pickup truck or leaning over the side or sitting on the tailgate,” says Plush. “Therefore, we saw the need in the market for a safer alternative for traffic control deployment.”
DOT lighting on the read of the platforms makes it very visible from behind. “We are outfitted by four different strobe lights around the perimeter in the back and also two work lights so there is ultimate visibility for people on the roadway,” says Plush.
In regard to the ANSI tests, Plush says, “We have been ANSI-tested to 1,000-pound working load capacity. That is 1,000 pounds with the basket and payload in it.”
In addition to being safer, the Mobile Work Platform is far more efficient. It has a rear towing receiver and a 4-, 5- or 7-pin trailer. “A lot of times on traffic control jobs they will pull a message board or an arrow board behind with them,” Plush says. “So this alleviates having to have an extra truck on the road and that way they can pull the basket and the arrow board to the jobsite and have it all in one trip.”
Connected technology is an important factor in the traffic safety world through an app called iCone. “A lot of road crews have this implemented on their vehicles,” says Plush. “What it does is it hooks up to a local power source and if you’re on Waze or any other GPS application, it will show up that there is road work ahead. A little icon will show up to give you that alert that people are on the roadway.”
The movement towards mandated safety procedures is likely to spur interest in products like the Mobile Work Platform for Traffic Control. “I believe there are going to be more regulations where these types of products are going to have to be used on roadways,” says Plush. “I know that in Kentucky, we have sold numerous units to various government agencies and contractors. They really like them. Of course, we are OSHA-compliant with the handrails as well. So that’s important for the safety managers and safety coordinators.”
