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Construction Site Safety: Improving Safety on Stairs During Construction and After Completion

Contributed by Wooster Products

NITEGLOW® from Wooster Products, affords greater traction due to the high coefficient of friction, as well as the safety afforded by its glow-in-the-dark technology. Image courtesy of Wooster Products.

There are many ways that people might be injured on a construction site. Slipping while walking up or down the stairs shouldn’t be one of them. Thankfully, many construction sites include non-slip surfaces on the steps ― while they are intended for the benefit of the end-user or occupants of the building once completed, they also afford some protection for those building the structure. There are numerous types of anti-slip surfaces that can be applied to stairs, and they are generally determined by the building codes governing the project. For example, any structure over seven stories requires photoluminescent (glow in the dark) emergency egress pathways on the stairs. This includes glow-in-the-dark strips to identify stairs, railings, landings, and obstructions. While the non-slip stair surfaces are designed for the protection of the ultimate occupants of the structure, they provide surer footing on the stairs for the workers traversing them during construction.

Every stair type (concrete, steel, wood, precast, or poured-in-place) can benefit from application of a non-slip surface. The desired coefficient of friction – the grip that a surface has as measured both wet and dry – is normally called out in the specification, and thus eliminates such tactics as adding sand to paint. The materials of construction impact what type of product is used. We’ll explore the most common types of non-slip surfaces typically found on construction sites, but first a little vocabulary lesson is in order. Every industry has their industry terms, and stairs are no exception.

  1. Nosings are non-slip surfaces that cover the leading edge of the horizontal step surface.
  2. Treads are non-slip surfaces that cover the entire (or vast majority) of the horizontal step surface.

Cast Nosings and Treads

Normally available in abrasive cast aluminum or abrasive cast iron, cast nosings and treads provide maximum durability in rough usage. Products such as Alumogrit® have been around for over 100 years― a true testament to their durability and to their ongoing functionality. They are unusually resistant to corrosive environments, making them well suited for indoor or outdoor usage. Anti-slip safety properties are cast into the surface, providing sure footing during construction and for decades afterwards. Cast nosings and treads can be applied to new concrete (whether cast-in-place or precast), or steel pan-filled stairs. They are typically used in parking structures and on outdoor stairs leading to skywalks or other structures.

Extruded Aluminum Nosings and Treads

NITEGLOW® from Wooster Products, affords greater traction due to the high coefficient of friction, as well as the safety afforded by its glow-in-the-dark technology. Image courtesy of Wooster Products.

Extruded aluminum nosings and treads feature a heat-treated, corrosion-resistant, extruded aluminum base with a satin/lacquered enamel finish for aesthetics and durability. Diamond hard aluminum oxide within the fillers assures a long service life even under heavy pedestrian traffic. They provide excellent safety at a lower cost than cast nosings and treads, making them ideal for indoor or outdoor installations in a wide variety of settings. Bright, long-lasting epoxy filler is free of hazardous and radioactive substances and extends uniformly throughout the filler. A high content of aluminum oxide abrasive provides traction and long service life and is replaceable.

The use of precast stairs significantly impacts the safety of a construction environment because the precast stairs can be used soon after installation as opposed to cast-in-place stairs, which take time to cure. During the curing process, ladders or other temporary devices are often used to allow workers to gain access to the upper floors, creating a potential safety hazard. Precast stairs eliminate these temporary devices and the safety concerns inherent with them and speed the construction process. Whatever method of producing stairs is opted for, extruded aluminum nosings and treads can be applied, providing sure footing for workers traversing them.

Extruded aluminum nosings and stairs are available as ribbed abrasives (aluminum channels for abrasives), or as full abrasive (solid abrasive surface). Both offer a high degree of grip. The ribbed abrasive allows two colors to be used so that college facilities, for example, can match their stadium color schemes, or a contrasting color – like optic yellow – can be used to draw further attention to the step. Photoluminescent (glow in the dark) technology is available for either ribbed abrasive or full abrasive styles. Protective tape is also available and may be applied to keep the abrasives clean during construction. While not as efficacious as the abrasive itself, tape over abrasive does provide a better grip and surer footing than plain concrete or steel stairs.

Every stair type (concrete, steel, wood, precast or poured-in-place) can benefit from application of a non-slip surface. Image courtesy of Wooster Products.

Another option available for extruded aluminum nosings and treads is two-piece construction, like Spectra® or Supergrit®. With this option, the extruded aluminum base is the same, however the abrasive portion is not added until late in the construction process, with wooden slats installed in the interim. This keeps the abrasives section looking pristine for the owners or occupants of the building. While the coefficient of friction for the wooden slats is less than the abrasives, it does afford users some footing advantages during the construction process.

As previously stated, photoluminescent technology is specified for use in buildings over seven stories tall. In addition to glow-in-the-dark materials on steps, the railings, landings, and obstructions must also be marked with photoluminescent tape to comply with Emergency Egress codes. Glow in the dark tape used to mark steps does not contain abrasive, and therefore affords no better footing. For best results, always specify that photoluminescent abrasive filler be used on emergency egress stairways – like NITEGLOW® from Wooster Products, which affords traction due to the high coefficient of friction as well as the safety afforded by its glow-in-the-dark technology.

The good thing is cleaning of photoluminescent treads and nosings (and other brightly colored abrasives) is easily accomplished with common commercial cleaners such as Simple Green and Fantastik. Wipe off any major dirt or grime first, then spray cleaner onto steps, and wipe off. For more heavily soiled areas additional dwell time of the cleaner may be required, this is normally determined by trial and error. Do not use bleach or other caustic cleaners as it may damage the abrasive filler mixture. CS

Wooster Products is an industry leader in anti-slip stair treads and walkway products. The company has been manufacturing anti-slip products for new construction, renovation, marine, and OEM applications since 1921 from the Wooster, OH facility.  Products include cast aluminum (Alumogrit®) cast iron (Ferrogrit®), extruded aluminum (Spectra, Supergrit®, Stairmaster®, and Flexmaster®), pressure sensitive adhesive tape/deck covering (Flex-Tred®), and coatings (WP-70, Walk-A-Sured®, and Safe-Stride®), as well as photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) nosings and treads (NITEGLOW®). For additional information visit www.WoosterProducts.com.

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