Slip risk on a wet working platform
An illustrative safety scenario: a working platform in a wash-down area is decked with smooth steel plate, water stands on the walking surface and GRP grating is considered for the deck. This example concerns walking and working surfaces.
The safety problem
Where process water, foam or cleaning agents reach the deck, a smooth plate surface keeps the liquid on top of it. The coating wears through along the walking line, the exposed metal starts to corrode, and a wet film on a smooth surface is the condition in which most slips happen. A drainage fall on its own does not clear a plate deck that is walked on all shift.
The illustration compares a wet steel plate deck with moulded GRP grating that carries a gritted top surface. It is a visual selection scenario, not a documented customer installation or a measured before-and-after result.
Illustrative platform deck comparison; not a documented customer installation.
A GRP grating option
Moulded GRP grating is an open mesh, so water, foam and cleaning agents fall through instead of collecting on the walking surface. A gritted top surface can be specified over the whole panel, and a panel in a different colour can be used to mark the platform edge or a route. The glass-fibre and resin body does not develop iron rust; resin type, hold-down clips and supporting steelwork still have to be selected for the environment.
Specify the complete deck
Treat the deck as an assembled system. Mesh size, panel height, support spacing, the direction the panels span and the hold-down clips belong to the same decision, together with the edge trim and any cut-outs around equipment.
Confirm the required loading, the deflection limit, the mesh opening permitted for the area and the slip class with the responsible project designer and with the plant safety officer. The mesh opening also has to suit the footwear in use and any dropped-object requirement. No load rating, compliance certificate or slip-resistance class is claimed for the pictured illustration.
Discuss your platform project
Send the deck layout with dimensions, the support spacing, the loading you have to meet, the chemicals present and photographs of the area. Include the surface type, the quantities and the delivery destination. NA-ME can review the grating options and the information needed to prepare a quotation.