The International Awards for Powered Access (IAPA) 2022 have announced the award shortlist, with the EQSS OverWatch selected for the Innovative Technology Prize. The OverWatch, a secondary guarding system for scissor lifts and vertical masts increases the protection to operators and reduces the risk of being crushed at the controls. It has been adopted by Australian industry including major construction companies delivering Australia’s big infrastructure projects.
The OverWatch has been installed on thousands of EWPs in Australia since 2020 and is now available globally. Making the shortlist to this prize is outstanding recognition that the OverWatch is an innovative and effective secondary guarding solution. The winners will be announced at the IAPA awards ceremony on 10 March in London, UK, following the IPAF Summit. “I am very proud that EQSS and the OverWatch have been shortlisted for the international awards for Powered Access. We had been working on secondary guarding solutions for over 5 years with a lot of trials and testing. Once we identified the biggest challenge and made that big innovation leap, we pushed hard for two years to develop the Overwatch. A big thank you to all our staff, it has been a tremendous team effort to make it happen. And I’d also like to thank our partners, namely the manufacturers, rental companies and contractors who worked with us and gave very valuable contributions to this project. Can’t wait for the awards ceremony on March 10!” – Ross Bowden, managing director of EQSS.
What are the IAPAs?
The International awards for the Powered Access Industry are organised by IPAF and Access International to celebrate the achievements of companies who make, rent and train on access equipment. With a view to making the Access industry safer the awards shine a spotlight on products that make a positive impact and increase operator safety. They are judged by an independent panel of industry experts including top managers at Access manufacturers and rental companies. EQSS have been shortlisted for the Overwatch in the Innovative Technology category. This award recognition is believed to be the first for an Australian company. The awards will be presented at the IAPA gala, following the IPAF summit on March 10.