Modular stairs combine stability and adjustability
Modular stairs provide a valuable option for warehouses, factories and other industrial settings. They provide versatility by allowing the owner to configure a set of stairs to precisely fit a given situation. Once they are installed, they can give permanent, reliable service. They also can easily be taken apart and used in another place, if needed,
You must choose a modular stair system with care, however. Even if they need to scale only a small height, workplace stairs come with strict regulations.
Workplace accidents on stairs
When accidents happen at work on stairs, it usually involves an employee not paying attention. They might be rushing somewhere. Employers would hope that workers are not looking at cellphones — a common cause of other accidents — but it happens.
The risks increase when a worker is carrying something. That can block one’s vision and prevent one from using a handrail.
Injuries do not occur only to people at the tops of long stairwells. Accidents happen on short stairways too. In fact, the ASTM International — a safety organization formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials — reported that short-flight stairs (any staircase made up of three stairs or fewer) can be dangerous because people tend to not see and process the short drop.
That’s why even a single-step change in a room should be marked very clearly with yellow paint or different-colored flooring and/or floor textures on each side of a single step.
At what height is a step required by OSHA?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health administration: “When there is a break in elevation of 19 inches (48 cm) or more, and no ramp, runway, embankment or personnel hoist is available, employers must provide a stairway or ladder at all worker points of access.”
What are modular stairs?
Modular stairs can be a safe, effective solution for helping workers walk from one level to the next when the difference is only two or three feet.
Modular staircase kits offer many advantages over one-size-fits-all, standard solutions. Customers can order them to suit their needs. Working at the jobsite to assemble the stair kit, crews can take full advantage of the adjustability that modular design allows.
For example, the Versa-Step OneStair system from Tri-Arc allows a staircase configuration in either a two-step or three-step, OSHA-compliant model, or as a three-step or four-step model that’s compliant for both CAL-OSHA and MASS. requirements.
The work platform and stairs have adjustable legs to make it easy to position the platform flush with the threshold of a doorway or other surface. Also, the stair stringers allow for adjustments to be made during installation so they can be level on uneven surfaces.
Versa-Step’s modular leg and foot pad design ensures preservation of each PerfAdjust leg for future field applications if the plastic foot pad is damaged during disassembly because of difficult ground surface conditions.
Tri-Arc makes the platforms from perforated, slip-resistance aluminum. It uses aluminum for the steps, too, providing perforated, non-slip treads. The galvanized steel legs have an adjustability range of 9 inches, in quarter-inch increments. And the company uses galvanized steel for the side rails and guardrails.
Why are stairs so dangerous?
A study in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine says stair-related injuries send 1.1 million Americans a year to emergency rooms. Only motor vehicle accidents outpace stairway and staircase accidents.
About 3,000 stairway accidents occur each day, according to that study. Also, about 12,000 people die every year in stairway accidents.
A person has a greater chance of falling when descending stairs than when climbing stairs. Descending stairs demands more of the ankles, knees, neck and vision than level walking or ascending stairs.
When climbing, your weight stays on your back foot until you plant your ascending foot and transfer weight to it. When descending stairs, you are more vulnerable. You shift your weight off your back foot toward your descending foot before you can plant it on the next step.
It’s easier for your foot to slip out from under you when you go down a stairway than up.
Also, if you stumble while climbing stairs, you can catch yourself on the steps in front of you. If you stumble going down the stairs, and can’t grab a handrail, there’s nothing to use to break your fall.
OSHA and ANSI developed strict specifications for stairs for this very reason. The simple act of walking up and down stairs turns out to be more risky than most people realize.
Is it time for modular stairs?
The experts at Tri-Arc can help you decide if your workplace or construction site needs a modular staircase. They also can make sure you get one to meet your exact specifications.