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Industrial Walkway Requirements

Essential safety features in many work places,walkways allow workers to move around a site with much less risk of accident and injury. In the UK, all these structures must comply with strict industrial walkway requirements to ensure that they can be used safely. Looking for Britain’s best walkways and components? Look no further than Pulman Steel. Learn more about these structures and industrial walkway standards with us, and then purchase what you need conveniently, online.

Essential safety features in many work places,walkways allow workers to move around a site with much less risk of accident and injury. In the UK, all these structures must comply with strict industrial walkway requirements to ensure that they can be used safely.

Looking for Britain’s best walkways and components? Look no further than Pulman Steel. Learn more about these structures and industrial walkway standards with us, and then purchase what you need conveniently, online.

What are industrial walkways?

Industrial walkways are different types of walkways made from steel. They are designed to facilitate the safe movement of workers, equipment, and more around workplaces in a vast number of industries. Usually, these walkways are made by forming a single piece of steel into an inverted channel shape. Industrial steel walkways are often combined with light steel framing and handrails.

The most common industrial walkway designs include platforms, stairs, overhead catwalks, and ladders. They can be fixed to the side of a facility, suspended from the ceiling, freestanding on industrial posts, or form part of larger workstations.

Where are industrial walkways typically used?

Common safety features, industrial walkways are found in a variety of settings. Examples ofplaces where you might findthem being used include:

 

  • Airports
  • Commercial building fire escapes
  • Constructionsites
  • Factories
  • Ports
  • Warehouses

Why are industrial walkways used?

The basic use of industrial walkways is to enable people to move around a space safely. However, most industrial steel walkways serve additional purposes. Some reasons why they are used include:

 

  • Accessing a building’s upper and lower levels or roof
  • Accessing upper reaches of machinery
  • Creating mezzanine levels
  • Easier movement over or around obstacles such as conduits or large pipes
  • Observation

What are the requirements of an industrial walkway?

 

Regardless of the situation and purpose of these structures, they must meet the applicable industrial walkway width requirements as well as other British Standards. The most commonly applicable of these requirements and standards include:

  1. Minimum head height for working platforms and walkways: 2100m unless inexceptional circumstances (may drop to a1900mm minimum and fitted with padding and warning signs).
  2. Minimum industrial walkway width requirements: 800mm, or 1,000mm when used by multiple operators simultaneously–special circumstances may see minimum width reduced to 600mm or 500mm.
  3. Walkway steps or stairs: A single step between 150mm and 300mm high may be installed between two industrial steel walkway platforms where the difference in height between those platforms cannot be closed by stairs. The step must be clearly visible through colouror guard railings.
  4. Accumulation of liquids: When it comes to flooring, the industrial walkway design should ensure that liquids that accumulate can drain away safely.
  5. Falling objects: Walkway flooring should be closed-top flooring if risk assessment identifies a falling object hazard. Depending on the size of grated flooring gaps, toe plates of a specific size should be installed, or the gap reduced. Use toe plates of at least 100mm for gaps greater than 20mm, toe plates of 100mm or 50mm for gaps between 20mm and 120mm, toe plates and a handrail or equivalent structure between 900mm and 1,100mm high for gaps between 120mm and 180mm, and a guard rail for gaps greater than 180mm. According to industrial walkway standards for fire escapes, the gratings of metal treads or landings should not allow a 20mm diameter ball to pass through.
  6. Falling through a floor: All the industrial walkway’s flooring’s removable elements should be secured to prevent movement while allowing all fixings to be examined for corrosion or potentially hazardous loosening.
  7. Slip hazards: Ribbed walkways and enhanced slip resistance walkways should be installed where required, especially on ramps with an angle pitch between 10 and 20 degrees. The measures should be between 400mm and 500mm apart, while any flooring ribs should be between 10mm and 20mm high.
  8. Trip hazards: The height difference between two sections of flooring joined together should be no more than 4mm, while the gap between them should beno bigger than 20mm.

Meet your walkway needs with Pulman Steel

Given their important function, the safe installation of industrial steel walkways should not be left to chance. In addition to ensuring that the industrial walkways at your facility comply with British Standards, you should also ensure that you install structures that you and the people who use them can trust. Choose Pulman Steel for the best quality walkways and handrails for industrial purposes.

Posted by Verkeer
12th February 2024

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