Crossover Stairs, Bridges, and Access Platforms

If you are a Safety Manager in an industrial setting, you know that there is nothing more vexing than seeing a worker crossing over an obstacle or ducking under a production line to get to another area. Workers taking shortcuts is an age-old problem and one that OSHA looks at with a cautious eye, and for a good reason. Slips, accidental falls, and injuries frequently happen around ground-level obstacles that should have a designated safe crossover point.

Compliance with OSHA and thinking like an inspector is part of the job of an excellent facility or plant manager and seeing these crossover areas, then acting on them to reduce a hazard, is a smart practice that adds layers of injury protection for your workers and peace of mind when thinking about that next inspection. Watch your workers and see where the trouble spots are.

• Pipes, Expansion Joints, and Electrical Conduit: Is there a horizontal pipe, expansion joint, or electrical conduit that crosses an area of your plant’s deck?  Are workers always stepping over it because they don’t have a designated crossover point?
• Production Lines: Are your workers ducking under production lines to get to their stations or to take breaks?  This practice is dangerous both for your workers and your production time.  An injury to a worker going under a line can stop production cold. 
• Frequent Traffic in Restricted Areas: If workers are consistently traveling through areas that are not meant for foot traffic, such as around machinery or storage areas, a crossover bridge can create a safer, designated path.
• Elevated Work Areas: If workers need to access elevated platforms or mezzanines regularly, and they’re using ladders or other unsafe methods, a work access platform or stairway would provide safer, more stable access.
• Congested Walkways: In facilities where walkways are narrow or congested, especially with forklifts or other vehicles, creating an elevated walkway or crossover can help segregate pedestrian traffic from vehicle traffic, reducing the risk of accidents.
• Maintenance Access: When regular maintenance tasks require workers to access equipment or areas that are hard to reach, adding a work platform can minimize the risk of falls or injuries from makeshift climbing solutions.
• Obstacles Near Emergency Exits: If there are obstacles near emergency exits that workers must navigate around, creating a clear, elevated path over those obstacles can ensure quick and safe evacuation in an emergency.

We offer Modular, Fabricated, and Hybrid solutions:

• Modular – composed of interchangeable components that can be configured and reconfigured to suit various applications.
• Fabricated – custom-built solutions designed to provide safe and efficient access to elevated areas. These systems are specifically engineered and constructed to meet the unique requirements of a particular site or application, and the pieces are generally not reconfigurable.
• Hybrid – integrates customizable, pre-engineered components with bespoke, site-specific elements to create a versatile and tailored solution for accessing elevated areas. These systems offer the flexibility and adaptability of modular systems, allowing for easy reconfiguration and expansion, along with the precision and specific fit of fabricated systems.

Do you need a mobile ladder, stair, or work platform? We’ve got you covered! Designed to bring the workspace and stability of a fixed ladder, stair, or work platform to a rolling unit, these ladders, stairs, and work platforms can securely and safely accommodate multiple operators and their equipment and parts. Check out the brochures in our Product Documents section with “Rolling” or “Mobile” in the title, or refer to our Rolling Ladders & Stairs section.