The Hoxton Special is a kitesurfing school located in the port of Penzance, in Cornwall Southern England.
Understanding the Challenge
With cabins based on the seafront wall, Hoxton’s Angus Tobey identified the need for faster access to them from the sand, rather than his customers having to walk the long way up the beach to reach them. Of course, being a seaside location, consideration for salt air corrosion-resistance was a big part of any plans for installing steps of a ladder on the wall. So, timber or any standard steel would not have been an option.
Angus approached London portable height access provider SafeSmart Access for a solution. Once council permission was acquired—a long process—for the installation of steps, it was decided that SafeSmart’s previous work with marine grade aluminium would be key to a successful outcome. And council stipulated that any steps installed would need to be removed during colder months when not being used, and had to be compliant to relevant safety regulations for temporary height access.
Supplying the Solution: Portable Access Stairs
SafeSmart provided their Portable Access Stairs product in 15-step configuration. And SafeSmart did indeed make the unit from the highest-quality marine grade aluminium, according to measurements of the sea wall height – of course, these measurements had to allow for pitch angle leeway that might be needed to accommodate variance in ground height on moving sands. These stairs’ self-levelling treads proved perfect for solving that challenge – the treads are always level when the unit’s pitch angle is adjusted.
And the unit is easily transportable, thanks to its lighter weight than say steel, and its collapsible handrails. These Portable Access Stairs are compliant to BS EN12811-1:32003, making them the HSE-friendly option.
The Result
Angus now has a safe way for customers to reach his shop and is looking forward to more customers during the British Summer months.
