In a side-by-side comparison of an alternating tread stair and a ship stair, users experienced 129% more missteps when climbing down the ship stair while carrying a load versus the alternating tread stair. When asked to choose between the two devices, 89% of the users chose the alternating tread stair for safer tread depth and 85% chose it for more comfortable tread depth.*
Tread Depth Makes a Difference
When going up and down a standard stair, each foot only uses half of each tread. On a steeper ship stair, the unused half tread becomes an obstacle by reducing usable tread depth. On an alternating tread stair, the unused half of each tread is removed to provide more usable tread depth. The result is greater safety and comfort, like a standard stair, plus the space-saving advantage of a steeper angle stair.
User-Preferred Solution
Safety professionals in a variety of industries choose alternating tread stairs from Lapeyre Stair to provide access in applications with space restrictions. Joe Steiner, Senior Project Engineer for General Mills, says, “We extensively use alternating tread stairs from Lapeyre Stair in our plant because they are safer and easier to use.” Vincent Incardona, Plywood Maintenance Planner for Georgia Pacifica says, “We have used alternating tread stairs from Lapeyre Stair for years and are finding new places to install them all the time. When you don’t have room for a long run of stairs, alternating tread stairs are a great alternative.”
Equipment manufacturers partner with Lapeyre Stair to provide built-in access to their products as a value-added benefit for their customers. Mike Drew, Engineering and Project Manager at Sterling Systems says, “We often run into space limitations when designing our custom machines. By utilizing alternating tread stairs from Lapeyre Stair we can provide safe access while saving space. Our customers quickly find that the alternating tread stairs are very comfortable and natural to navigate. When combined with a safety gate from Lapeyre Stair, we have a winning solution for keeping workers safe while ensuring they can easily access the machine.”
Options for Virtually Any Application
Lapeyre Stair manufactures alternating tread stairs in carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Each stair is custom built to any height up to 20’. They are available in 56° and 68° angles with a choice of handrails options. For applications requiring taller heights or when there is a need to cross over obstacles, alternating tread stairs can be combined with platforms in a variety of configurations. Lapeyre Stair also offers safety gates for alternating tread stairs.
Ready to take the next step?
Go to www.lapeyrestair.com for more information or to place an order online.
*Source: VA Tech study findings published in the proceedings of the Human Factors Society’s 32nd Annual Meeting.
