Slips, trips, and falls are some of the most common accidents in the workplace. To help mitigate these accidents and injuries, it’s critical to invest in the appropriate safe access and fall prevention solutions. At Northern Platforms, we proudly provide a wide selection of safe access solutions to ensure your workers’ safety and improve your workplace’s efficiency. One of our top safe access solutions is our crossover stairs from ErectaStep. Crossover stairs are used across many facilities and industries because they are versatile and offer numerous advantages. Next, we’ll tell you more about crossover stairs and some factors to consider before investing in crossover stairs for your facility. Keep reading to find out more!

Understanding Crossover Stairs

Crossover stairs are known under many names, such as crossover platforms, ladders, bridges, etc. These access solutions are manufactured to provide workers with a safe and direct path from point A to point B. One of the most significant advantages of crossover stairs from Northern Platforms is that they are available in a wide range of configurations which can help workers safely navigate around obstacles or hazards in your facility. This means your employees can accomplish their duties safely and efficiently, dramatically benefiting your bottom line.

While crossover stairs from ErectaStep offer numerous safety and efficiency benefits, they can be costly for some operations. That’s why ensuring you understand your access needs is critical before investing in crossover stairs. Before you decide to invest in crossover stairs for your facility, you should consider a few factors to ensure you purchase the best access solutions for your unique application, worksite, and needs.

What Height Do Your Crossover Stairs Need to Reach?

The elevation of your crossover stairs directly correlates with its intended purpose and how the platform will be used. For instance, if your crossover stairs will be used to laterally move over a piece of equipment or machinery like a conveyor belt, then the crossover stars should have a minimum clearance needed to reach over the equipment. However, if employees need to access certain mechanisms or specific heights, rolling stairs or a work platform may be a better safe access solution than crossover stairs. The heights and obstacles your crossover stairs need to work around will influence their overall configuration and whether or not they will be the best access solution for your application.

What Distance Do the Stairs Need to Span?

The distance your crossover stairs need to span will directly impact their configuration and total cost. Fortunately, Northern Platforms‘ safe access solutions experts can visit your facility or worksite and help you determine the appropriate configuration for your crossover stairs. We use a digital design tool which allows our team to custom configure the optimal crossover stairs for your facility and provide you with an accurate diagram and quote. That way, you have a clear picture of your crossover stairs’ size, configuration, and overall cost.

Do You Need Safety Swing Gates?

Safety features such as self-closing safety swing gates are important fall protection features for crossover stairs. For instance, Northern Platforms’ YellowGate safety swing gates are often used with crossover stairs at a ladder or stair opening to help prevent falls. When investing in crossover stairs, it’s important to consider the other safe access solutions and fall protection features your facility may require.

Your Source for Crossover Stairs and More!

Since 2002, Northern Platforms has been Western Canada’s premier distributor of industry-leading safe access solutions. Our comprehensive inventory includes access and fall protection solutions from trusted manufacturers such as SafeRack, ErectaStep, RollaStep and more! Moreover, Northern Platforms also proudly offers several turnkey solutions, such as preventative maintenance, installation, and more.

Ready to custom configure crossover stairs for your facility? Contact us today to get expert support and service from the team at Northern Platforms!