Industrial stairs are an integral part of industrial infrastructure. Though these are ubiquitous in their presence their importance in facilitating smooth functioning of plants, factories and other kinds of industrial facilities is enormous. It is imperative that industrial stairs dimension conform to the right specifications, incorporating all the necessary safety and security features to prevent stairway accidents, which can be quite dangerous. Let’s take a look at this in a little detail by studying the OSHA stair requirements:

• Riser Height – 6 to 7.5 inches.
• Tread Nosing-Has to be straight leading edged
• Stair Landings- At least 20 inches deep
• Stair Width – A minimum of 22 inches.
• Tread Depth– A minimum of 12 inches, plus or minus 2 inches

Now that we know what the industrial stair dimensions should be in order to be perfectly safe and secure for workers, let’s take a look at the many kinds of industrial stairs that are installed across industries.

Industrial Metal Stairs

This is a classic industrial stairs system proven for its durability and safety and compliance with both the important industry regulations-OSHA and IBC.

Crossover Stairs

It becomes necessary to install these stairs in industrial facilities where workers have to work their way around aisle-ways, obstructions and other kinds of site conditions. Such units can be available in inclines of 50, 70 or 90 degrees that may be best appropriate for a forward, vertical or rear descent.

Work Platform Stairs

The best products of this kind are modular in design and can therefore be assembled in no time and will not require any prefabrication. That lends a great flexibility to the product enabling it to be deployed under different work conditions at myriad kinds of sites.

Catwalk Stairs

The only way that workers can reach different catwalk levels is by using industrial steel stairs. The stairs and handrails have to be built according to the prescribed norms and regulations.

There may be many kinds of industrial stairs in use, but what should be common to all is the safety and security of the users. Here’s what can help one ensure that stairways are used safely with the minimum of accidents:

1. Make it a point to use handrails when ascending or descending any set of stairs.
2. Totally do not ever use the stairs as a place of storage.
3. Take one step at a time when climbing up or down a set of stairs to avoid a misstep.
4. Ensure that there is no build-up of ice, snow or rain.
5. Regularly inspect stairways for missing steps, lose handrails, lose carpets, the presence of grease, and so on.
6. Ensure that the stairway is adequately lit up.
7. Ensure that your shoelaces are always tied when you use a stairway.
8. Do not run up and down stairs while looking into a mobile world.

It is important to ensure stairway safety in light of the fact that falls are the number two cause of fatalities over the last four decades.[2] Industrial stairs when compliant with the prescribed guidelines have a far lesser chance of witnessing any manner of accidents than when they are not. Besides, not installing industrial stairs that conform to local codes is an invitation to penalties.

Fabricating industrial stairs is a specialist’s job and requires the application of precision fabrication techniques. Stairs being so important in providing safe access to different parts of any industrial facility, their safety and security can be assured by conforming to rigorous engineering standards. However, recent advances in fabrication techniques have made it possible for designing and fabricating to be out of the top drawer, while also being very economical.

There are many top rate manufacturers of industrial stairs to be found in the country and industrial units can order precisely the kind of custom-built products that provide economy, convenience, reliability, and security. The industrial infrastructure of any nation fuels the growth of its economies, and industrial stairs are a ubiquitous symbol of that.

The safety and security aspect of industrial stairs is stressed again and again because the safety of industrial workers precedes everything else, including the growth of the economy. Growth and wealth mean nothing in a vacuum, and unless industrial workers are provided a share of it, they will not be motivated to give their best.

Fortunately, the advent of the digital age has taken industrial safety to a new level and work conditions across industries are way better than they were in the past. Going forward, one can expect even more improvements in industrial safety and security. Because of how integral a part of the industrial landscape, one can expect them to be designed and fabricated to very high levels of precision that come as close to perfection as possible.