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Let’s say that the only way to reach one of your machines is to go up eight feet, cross over a 5-foot-wide conveyor belt, dogleg to the left, climb up three more steps and double back 10 feet. Do you just throw up a wrench and hope for the best? A better way is to install an adjustable work platform, also known as a multi-platform access system.

That will get a worker there and back again, safely, to service that machine and avoid disturbing any other equipment. 

What is a multi-platform access system?

A multi-platform access system is a custom combination of platform ladders and work platforms designed to allow workers to reach areas that would be inaccessible otherwise. They also are called adjustable work platforms and MPASs.

Jerry Young is a 30-plus-year sales engineer/product specialist for Tri-Arc, a Pittsburgh company that configures and manufactures MPAS systems.

He said an MPAS “is a middle ground between a standard product and a customized product. It’s form-fitted to each product … and configured from standard, existing products.” 

Tri-Arc offers “tens of thousands” of configurations, one of which solved the issue posed above. 

Many industrial workplaces install them to give employees and contractors a lift to places that require regular maintenance. Rather than using a series of portable ladders and other means to reach work zones, the MPAS affords safe, ergonomic access to out-of-the-way spots.

How do I design an MPAS for my workplace?

These adjustable work platforms consist of five basic components: stairways or ladders, stairway ladder handrails, platforms, platform support legs, and guardrails.

Tri-Arc’s website offers a guide to help people figure out what components they need.

The company works with many distributors, from the Fortune 500 company W.W. Grainger to smaller firms. However, Tri-Arc welcomes customers to contact them directly.

It adjusts to the customer’s communication style, Young said, even if that style involves a doodle on a cocktail napkin. 

Customers have explained their projects over the phone; have drawn their projects on a spare piece of paper; and have provided full-blown models of their projects. Once Tri-Arc understands and accepts the project, the company designs it to efficiently and safely address the customer’s needs. 

The product is shipped in pieces, so the customer must put its MPAS together. However, Tri-Arc provides detailed instructions as well as a human voice if the installation process goes awry. Installation can range from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks, depending on the complexity of the MPAS.

What are the safety requirements?

Surprisingly, neither OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nor ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, provides specific regulations for MPAS’s. 

However — and there is always a “however” with OSHA and ANSI — regulations apply to each part of the MPAS configuration. Thus, all the ladders, platforms, rails and accessories are all covered by safety regulations. 

Tri-Arc manufactures and configures all its products to be OSHA-compliant.

The Tri-Arc adjustable work platform

Tri-Arc, which was founded 74 years ago, manufactures cantilever ladders, crossover platforms, rolling ladders, rooftop platforms and MPAS’s through its U-Design Configurable Products department.  

The company makes all its products on site with domestic materials. 

“USA products have always been better,” Young said. Local companies provide service much more easily, he said, because “you don’t need to send a (defective) part to Japan.” 

Also, shipping costs are much lower with American companies: “These are big, bulky items.  Freight charges are a lot less from here.” 

The company has two full crew working to fill the orders, about 20 per week. Young said his company is special because: “That’s what we do. We have American pride. What else can I tell you?”

The MPASs come with special anti-slip, serrated surfaces — “a more aggressive tread,” Young said.  

Buying an MPAS is a financial investment. The company’s basic MPAS’s starting at about $1,300. Young said cheaper products exist “out there,” but advises against basing your choice of an MPAS solely on the price tag. “This is not a disposable product. It’s built to last. We’re not the cheapest, but we’re the best.” 

One of Young’s favorite work stories involves a potential customer who said Young’s price quote was much higher than another company’s. The customer decided to go with the lower bid.  

Two months later, that same customer called Young to order the original product. 

When Young asked him what had happened with the other company’s product, the customer replied: “I don’t want to talk about that. Let’s just say that you get what you pay for.”

An aluminum work platform with the works

All Tri-Arc multi-platform access systems conform to these specifications:

  • Aluminum construction
  • Unpainted mill finish
  • 500 lbs. load capacity
  • 81 inch maximum platform height
  • Serrated, slip-resistant tread

Here’s a closer look at some of the components:

Stairs

  • 45-degree Incline
  • 24-inch wide steps
  • 9 inches of height between stairs
  • 18 inches to 81 inches in height

Aluminum platforms

30 inch platform width

Adjustable length for 30-inch, 60-inch, 90-inch and 120-inch platforms

Work platform support legs

Clears obstructions from 14 inches to 77 inches in height

9-inch height increments

 

Contact Tri-Arc to see if a multi-platform access system would be right for your workplace.