Industrial Scissor Lifts are to be provided with toe protection for any lift table that is installed into a preformed, recessed pit. Two of the most common means to provide this toe protection is electric toe sensors and beveled toe guards.
Electric Toe Sensors: The purpose of electric toe sensors is to stop the downward travel of the lift table platform if an obstruction is encountered as the underside of the platform edges of the lift table as it lowers into the pit. This obstruction could be the toes of the operator’s foot projecting over the edge of the pit, falling product, debris etc.
Electric toe sensors consist of a 4 sided steel bar assembly that is suspended just below the lower edge of the lift table platform. The suspended steel bar assembly is interlocked with electric limit switches that are wired in series. All limit switches are wired normally closed allowing the signal from the down button to travel through the closed limit switches to the lowering valve coil, the lowering valve opens, the platform lowers.
If an obstruction contacts the 4 sided steel bar assembly as the platform is lowering one or more of the limit switches open circuits interrupting the electrical signal from the down button to the lowering valve coil, the lowering valve closes stopping the descent of the lift table platform. When the obstacle is removed and the down button reactivated the platform will continue to lower.
This link connects with a photograph of a lift table platform equipped with electric toe sensors.    https://www.pentalift.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DSL.pdf
Beveled Toe Guards: An alternative to equipping a lift table platform with electric toe sensors is to equip the lift table platform with 4 sided beveled toe guards.
A beveled toe guard design has the 4 steel sides of the lift table platform slanted inward at an angle of approximately 30 degree from vertical. Tapering the toe guards inward from the vertical position eliminates the potential shear factor that a platform equipped with straight, vertical toe guards would create as the underside of the platform lowers into the pit.
Beveled toe guards act as a physical alert if contacted by the operators foot as the platform lowers triggering the operator to pull their foot back out of harm’s way.
This link connects with a photograph of a lift table platform equipped with beveled toe guards. https://www.pentalift.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/LH.pdf.
For information on any Pentalift product please contact the Pentalift Sales Department.