Because of the many cases of accidents related to injury, alternatives have been searched for a safer working environment such as the industrial podiums. Because of the hasards of using a ladder and builders steps, industrial podiums were created and are now mostly being used as alternative means of working at an elevated position. Industrial podiums are equipment used for workers to do their jobs in an elevated condition. Unlike the traditional ladder and builders steps, these are much safer to use. Why Use Industrial Podiums Have you ever used a ladder to climb up to fix the ceiling? Or clean the gutter perhaps? You have probably felt that it is actually scary when you are on top of it plus your movements are quite limited. Moving too much may cause imbalance causing you to fall and risk injuries. And you can only carry quite a few of your tools when you are on top of a ladder whilst you are working. In addition to this, a ladder can only be used when the things you need to fix are alongside a wall. So this is where the builders steps comes in. The builders steps looks like a two joined ladder forming the shape of a triangle. It can at least stand on its own and can be used without the support of a wall. But still, it has limitations like controlling your balance, and it still poses some hasards. Because of the large number of injuries caused by height-related work, something has to be done to prevent further accidents. The Working at Height Regulations of 2005, now outlaws the use of builders steps by safety officers in favour of the industrial podiums which allow the user to move around freely without any constraints. It has a guardrail that surrounds it and access to the working platform area is through a hinged locking gate, thus making it much safer than the traditional builders steps. Advantages of Industrial Podiums Most industrial podiums are primarily made of aluminium, making it sturdy and at the same time lightweight. But other manufacturers use the traditional steel industrial podiums. Industrial podiums have casters and platforms that act as steps to get into the main working platform area. The small platforms have hooks that retain the steps and provide the podium step additional bracing creating a safe rigid platform. The platform is the main working area of the person using it. Surrounding the platform are guard railings to prevent the worker from falling. Today, there are a lot of manufacturers that produce industrial podiums. Since it is usually made from aluminium, it is very easy to transport, lightweight to carry, and can be assembled and dismantled with ease. And some of them have unique features. Some of them can be folded flat and will fit through a standard doorway. Some have locking hooks on the small platforms to retain the steps and give additional bracing and a rigid work platform. The working area or the platform is sometimes added with anti-slip materials for additional safety. Thus, industrial podiums are one of the safest and most comfortable equipments when working with heights.
