Anti-slip stairs and platforms

If the subject of safety is mentioned in connection with major sporting events like a Champions League match at Munich’s Allianz Arena or the Four Hills ski jumping tournament in Oberstdorf on New Year’s Day, it’s aspects like massive policing or extensive people screening that immediately spring to mind. Yet there are also many not-quite-so-obvious measures, without which large-scale events of this kind would be unthinkable today. Anti-slip stairs and platforms made by MEA Metal Applications are a good case in point.

The made-to-measure MEASTEP designs allow adaptation to individual customer requirements, for example anti-slip stairs with a safety step edge and bolt-on stringers. Wherever an increased risk of slipping exists, stair treads must be provided with a slip-resistant surface. Accident statistics confirm that anti-slip stairs and platforms are never a bad choice.

Insurance companies and building trade associations could write a book about it: most tripping accidents are attributable to poorly designed structures, worn steps and inadequate slip protection. Every year, more than 40,000 people are injured because stairs or platforms are not slip-resistant. One particularly interesting fact is that 80 per cent of these accidents happen on the way down, usually due to slippery edges.

Stairs have a pitch angle of between 30 and 45 degrees. Ramps with slip protection have a smaller rise, i.e. less than 30 degrees. Staircases steeper than 45 degrees are classed as factory steps. And up to a maximum angle of 70 degrees they’re referred to as stepladders. Even anti-slip stairs steeper than 45 degrees are only allowed to be installed subject to express approval, for example if the design of the structure or building does not permit stairs with a smaller rise.