Industrial work platforms are typically governed by OSHA standards related to walking-working surfaces, fall protection, guardrails, and safe access under OSHA 1910 and 1926 regulations. For most manufacturing and warehouse work, the governing section is 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D. Construction work falls under 1926 and uses different trigger heights.

OSHA generally requires guardrails to have a top rail height of 42 inches, plus or minus 3 inches, from the walking surface. Although we typically include guardrails on most platforms, regardless of height. OSHA requires guardrails on platforms over 48".

Four feet in general industry, six feet in construction. That is the trigger, not the target. We build guardrail into most platforms well below four feet because a fall from 30 inches onto a concrete floor still puts someone in the hospital.

Yes. A top rail has to withstand 200 pounds of force applied downward or outward within two inches of the top edge, and it cannot deflect below 39 inches while carrying that load. Midrails have to hold 150 pounds. That load requirement is what separates a real guardrail from a piece of tube welded to a post.

Almost never. A chain will not hold 200 pounds without deflecting, and it leaves an opening far wider than the 19 inches OSHA allows. Use a self-closing safety gate instead.

9-1/2" is the maximum step height allowed per OSHA 1910.

On any flight with at least three treads and four risers. Handrails sit 30 to 38 inches above the leading edge of the tread. If the stair has an unprotected side, that side also needs a stair rail system.

No. OSHA treats spiral, ship, and alternating tread stairs as options only when a standard stair is not feasible, and they are harder to use safely while carrying tools or parts. In almost every case we can find room for a switchback or a multi-landing stair instead, and we will lay that out for you.

Twelve inches on center, every time. OSHA allows anywhere from 10 to 14 inches as long as it is uniform, and we hold to 12. The first rung goes between 0 and 14 inches maximum off the ground. Consistent spacing means a climber's feet land where they expect them to on every ladder we build.

Cages and wells no longer count as fall protection on their own. Any fixed ladder extending more than 24 feet needs a ladder safety system or a personal fall arrest system. New and replaced ladders had to comply as of November 19, 2018, and every remaining ladder has to comply by November 18, 2036. If you are already replacing a section of an old caged ladder, that section triggers the upgrade now.

Not on every platform, but on any elevated surface where people, equipment, or traffic pass underneath. Toeboards are at least 3.5 inches tall with no more than a quarter inch of gap at the deck. If material is stacked higher than the toeboard, you need paneling or screening above it.

Platform load capacity is determined by factors such as intended use, personnel, equipment loads, material selection, and structural engineering calculations. We generally calculate 250 pounds per person when rating our platforms, and we target a 3 to 1 safety factor on all stated capacities. The exception is unsupported cantilevered products, which carry a smaller safety factor. Reaching 3 to 1 on an unsupported cantilever takes so much counterweight that the unit becomes too heavy to move and position, and a cantilever nobody can reposition is not doing its job.

Uniform load is weight spread evenly across the whole deck, usually stated in pounds per square foot. Concentrated load is weight sitting on one small spot, like a pallet corner, a jack stand, or an engine hoist wheel. A deck can pass a uniform rating and still fail under a concentrated load in the middle of a span, so tell us about point loads up front.

This is our specialty! Custom engineering is often needed when standard platforms cannot safely accommodate specific equipment, layouts, elevations, or load requirements.

Photos of the area from a few angles, the working height you are trying to reach, the footprint you have to stay inside of, what the person is doing up there, what they are carrying, and any obstructions in the way. Overhead clearance and door widths matter too. The more we get on the front end, the less conservative we have to be on price.

Both exist. Freestanding units keep your slab intact and can be relocated, but they need a wider base to stay stable. Anchored units use less floor space and handle higher loads and cantilever reach. Tall or heavily cantilevered structures almost always get anchored.

Yes. Modular fabrication and bolt-together assemblies are commonly incorporated to improve shipping, installation, and future adaptability.

Steel and aluminum both offer advantages when building a platform, and the best choice depends on the application. Steel provides greater strength, rigidity, and durability for heavy-duty industrial use, while aluminum offers lighter weight, corrosion resistance, and easier mobility. The ideal material comes down to balancing load requirements, environment, maintenance expectations, and whether portability or maximum strength is the higher priority.

We most commonly use Grip Strut Safety Tread for stairs and Diamond Tread Sheet material for platform decking. Bar grating is another option if your application requires a less aggressive open grating step material.

Open grating when you need drainage, when liquid or debris would otherwise pool on the deck, when you want light to pass through to the level below, and outdoors where snow and rain need somewhere to go. Solid plate when you cannot allow anything to drop through onto people or equipment underneath, and when the crew is on their knees or setting small parts down.

Stainless or aluminum usually beats a coating in a true washdown or chemical environment, because the coating only protects until the first chip. For outdoor structural steel, hot dip galvanizing holds up longest. Powder coat gives you the best appearance and good indoor durability. Tell us the environment and we will match the system rather than guess.

We commonly work with carbon steel, aluminum, and stainless steel depending on project requirements and environmental conditions.

You send photos and dimensions, we talk through the application, and we produce a Design Sheet showing overall dimensions, features, and a simple rendering of what we are proposing along with the quote. You review it, we adjust it, you issue a purchase order, then we release it to fabrication and coordinate delivery.

Thirty days. Material pricing and shop loading both move, so anything past that window gets re-confirmed before we release it.

Lead times are quoted as a range and depend on current shop loading, the size of the system, and finish requirements. Smaller units run a few weeks. Large multi-level structures run several months. If your project needs PE stamped drawings, add time for the stamping and review cycle before fabrication starts.

Sometimes, and there are usually better levers than pure speed. Staggered shipments work well on multi-unit orders, where you take the first units early and the balance later. Simplifying a finish or splitting a system into phases also helps. Asking us to cut a schedule by a third with no scope change is where we will tell you no.

Installation can be quoted for most projects. Many customers install with their own maintenance crews or a local millwright, especially on bolt-together systems. We design with field installation in mind either way, so the pieces go together in a predictable order.

Yes! We design most of our platforms to conform to unusual shapes and industrial equipment. Our specialty is working on platforms for aerospace manufacturing and industrial equipment.

Yes. We provide concept drawings that we refer to as Design Sheets with every project. These design sheets provide overall dimensions, features, and simple renderings of the product that we have designed for you. PE stamped structural drawings are available when a project or a jurisdiction requires them.