Upside’s Access Solutions for Cold Storage Buildings Call (513) 889-2492 ORDER NOW Silvana Gold Silvana is Upside's Marketing Analyst - qualifying leads that come through the website and assisting in marketing initiatives. With experience in copywriting and a degree in Marketing, her expertise is at work. Jun 13, 2024 Estimated reading time: 4 minutes At Upside Innovations, we specialize in manufacturing high-quality aluminum access products tailored to meet unique requirements. Our loading dock stairs, stair towers, and canopy products are the perfect addition to ensure safe access in and around these buildings. Enhancing Cold Storage Buildings With the increasing demand for fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, and other perishable goods, cold storage buildings are becoming more vital than ever. Outdated cold storage buildings are also receiving improvements. These facilities require specialized environments to maintain low temperatures, ensuring the integrity and longevity of stored products. However, managing these environments also necessitates robust and reliable access solutions that can withstand harsh conditions. Why Choose Aluminum? Aluminum is an ideal material for access products in cold storage buildings for multiple reasons: Rust/Warp Free: Aluminum will never rust, warp, or rot. Making this material favorable over steel or wood. This can be crucial in cold storage environments where moisture and temperature fluctuations are common. Low Maintenance: Aluminum stair towers and loading dock stairs require minimal maintenance compared to steel alternatives, translating to lower long-term costs and fewer operational disruptions. Cost Savings: Our prefabricated solutions often come in at a lower price than steel fabrication. The products are turn-key solutions and do not require on-site welding. Upside is able to deliver across the country and install. Aluminum Stair Towers: Safe and Efficient Access Our aluminum stair towers provide safe and efficient vertical access on the interior or exterior of cold storage facilities. Designed with safety in mind, these stair towers offer: Non-Slip Surfaces: Safety is paramount in cold storage environments. Our stair treads feature non-slip surfaces to prevent accidents, even in icy or wet conditions. We also offer open-tread decking, we have a grip strut decking and bar grating decking. Both designed to allow rain and snow to pass through or create a grip for foot traffic. Compliance with Codes: All Upside products meet ADA/IBC-compliance or OSHA-compliance, ensuring peace of mind for facility or safety managers. Project Specificity: Although our products are prefabricated, our sales team quotes a configuration specific to your elevation height and footprint. Then, our engineers create project specific drawings for your approval. Aluminum Loading Dock Stairs: Streamlining Operations Loading docks are a hub at cold storage facilities, where goods are constantly moved in and out. Our aluminum loading dock stairs are designed to facilitate this critical function: Easy Access: Our stairs provide employees with easy and safe access to loading docks, improving operational efficiency and reducing the risk of accidents. Heavy Duty: Built to withstand heavy foot traffic and the rigors of daily use, our loading dock stairs are a dependable choice for busy cold storage facilities. Prefabricated: Our heavy duty loading dock stair design is manufactured to be a turn-key solution for easy install, unlike steel loading dock stairs that require welding on-site. Aluminum Walkway Canopies and Awnings: Protection from the Elements Our walkway canopies and cantilever awnings are other essential products to assist in operations of cold storage facilities: Internal Drainage: Both our walkway canopy and cantilever awning are equipped with internal drainage, no need for attaching a gutter. The walkway canopies drain through the posts and the awnings have internal drainage in the frame, using a scupper plate to redirect the water. Unique Layouts: We can achieve any length with each canopy product. The walkway canopies have a maximum width of 12’ between the posts and we can connect canopies side by side with shared posts. The cantilever awning has a maximum 5’ projection off the building using hanger rods to tie back to the building. Standard or Custom Color: Powder-coating the aluminum product allows for a clean look. Our standard colors are white or black and other custom colors can be requested. Conclusion At Upside Innovations, we are committed to providing top-quality aluminum products that enhance the safety and efficiency of cold storage buildings. Whether you need aluminum stair towers for vertical access, loading dock stairs for streamlined operations or a canopy to protect material or employees from the elements – our solutions are designed to meet the challenges of these essential facilities. As the demand for cold storage grows, you can trust Upside Innovations to deliver the access solutions you need to stay ahead. Take a look at this recent project for a cold storage facility. One of our sales representatives Brittany Dozier sold the walkway canopy pictured in the far right of the loading dock, to a facility in Georgia. Have a similar project you need to be quoted? Reach out to Brittany at bdozier@upsideinnovations.com Interior Stair Tower for Roof Access Warehouse Rooftop Stair Tower Installation Loading Dock Stair for Man Door Cantilever Awning spanning over Loading Dock Area StairsTools & Resources Types of Stairs for Commercial and Industrial Use Read More » June 7, 2022 Project Profile Dry Van Storage – The Ideal Trailer Access Ladder Solution Read More » February 21, 2025
Big-Time Solar Panel Contractor Cited for OSHA Violations Tracy Mikulec Tracy Mikulec, a seasoned leader in the digital marketing realm, currently serves as the Director of Digital at SixAxis, a pioneering manufacturer of industrial and commercial safety products from renowned brands like SafeRack, ErectaStep, and Upside. With a career spanning over three decades, Tracy has been at the forefront of digital innovation, ecommerce, and technology strategy. Since January 2015, Tracy has been instrumental in shaping the digital landscape at SixAxis, LLC, based in Andrews, South Carolina. His role involves leading digital strategies and overseeing technological advancements for SixAxis and its diverse portfolio of brands. Nov 13, 2021 Estimated reading time: 3 minutes A well-known solar panel contractor has been cited for exposing workers to dangerous fall hazards. The company headquartered in Louisiana is one of the leading solar panel installers in the nation. OSHA issued a third-party citation after an investigation found that it violated federal workplace safety requirements despite being previously cited twice in two years. Following an inquiry by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Marc Jones Construction LLC – also known as Sunpro Solar – for a repeat safety violation after inspectors discovered employees exposed to falls, the most common cause of death and severe injuries in the construction business. Furthermore, the government agency cited the firm for permitting staff to climb up and down extension ladders while holding items that may have prompted them to fall and for screwing up to offer employees a fall safety program. Marc Jones Construction LLC had received two repeat violations prior, which are issued when an employer previously experienced a similar breach of the same standard or regulation. OSHA referred the Louisiana-based company for similar violations twice in Texas, San Antonio in January 2021, and El Paso in April 2020. “This is another example that falls continue to be one of the leading causes for death and serious injury in construction work,” said DOL OSHA Regional Administrator Condell Eastmond. The OSHA fined the company almost $161,000 in penalties for the violations it committed. Based in Mandeville, Louisiana, Marc Jones Construction LLC is a business and residential solar panel installation firm with operations in 21 states. Sunpro Solar, formed in 2008, was named second on “Solar Power World” magazine’s rank of leading home solar installers in the United States in 2021. After receiving the citations and fines, the organization has 15 business days to cooperate, seek an informal meeting with OSHA’s local director, or appeal the allegations before the independent OSHA commission. Roofing contractors have become a target of OSHA inspections. At least five roofing contractors were cited in 2018 for violating workplace safety requirements, including one in Kentucky. The installation of metal awnings is being considered to be prone to fall hazards. This is the reason why Upside Innovations is providing experts to ensure that there are no untoward incidents in your workplace or your facilities. Upside Innovations stays committed to ensuring the safety of our employees and protecting the environment through safe work practices. Roof-mounted railings are a common type of safety measure employed by contractors. Guardrails with safety swing gates are generally placed six feet from the edge of the roof. If anything near the border, like a condenser unit, barriers are needed right up to it. It may be unappealing to put bright yellow barriers around the perimeter of the roof. There are methods to meet OSHA standards without resorting to such measures. Galvanized rails, for example, are less obtrusive visually but might be prone to corrosion. This is why aluminum handrails are recommended for them to be more durable in weather conditions on the rooftop. The use of guardrails is also an architectural problem. Some building owners, for example, surround the roof with bright yellow rails. It is under OSHA standards, but it gives the impression that the facility is always under construction and distracted from other structure areas. There are several alternative products available to assist building owners in acquiring OSHA permits. What is important is that building workers and visitors are kept safe in case of stair accidents or slips happen in these building areas. News Navigating the Complexities of Code Compliance for Multi-Use Facilities Read More » February 27, 2024 Tools & Resources Stair and Walk Surface Glossary of Terms Read More » December 1, 2022
Calculating Multi-Story Stairway Width Tracy Mikulec Tracy Mikulec, a seasoned leader in the digital marketing realm, currently serves as the Director of Digital at SixAxis, a pioneering manufacturer of industrial and commercial safety products from renowned brands like SafeRack, ErectaStep, and Upside. With a career spanning over three decades, Tracy has been at the forefront of digital innovation, ecommerce, and technology strategy. Since January 2015, Tracy has been instrumental in shaping the digital landscape at SixAxis, LLC, based in Andrews, South Carolina. His role involves leading digital strategies and overseeing technological advancements for SixAxis and its diverse portfolio of brands. May 07, 2019 Estimated reading time: 2 minutes If you haven’t read our IBC Stair Width Calculation article, I recommend reading that first so that you can see the IBC codes we reference. If you have already read it, below is a scenario in which we calculate the required width of multiple stairways that serve multiple floors. Scenario: We need exit stairs for a building that has 3 floors that have varying occupant loads. There is a sprinkler system, but the system was not installed per code requirements. The occupant loads are as follows: Floor 1: 40 occupantsFloor 2: 480 occupantsFloor 3: 110 occupants The required total stairway width per floor is as follows: Floor 1: 40 occupants x 0.3” = 12” (BUT the minimum stairway width for a floor serving less than 50 occupants is 36”. Can you imagine trying to walk down a 12” wide stairway?)Floor 2: 480 occupants x 0.3” = 144”Floor 3: 110 occupants x 0.3” = 33” (BUT the minimum stairway width for a floor serving more than 50 occupants is 44”.) What do we do when each floor requires a different width? We use the largest minimum width because we don’t want to create a bottleneck effect where a wide stairway leads into a narrower stairway. Therefore, we want to use the 144” measurement for the minimum combined stair width. We will need two stairways because we have an occupant load between 1 and 500 per story. The 144″ width can be divided between the two stairways. BUT in case a stairway is destroyed or inaccessible during an evacuation, the remaining stairway needs to be at least half of the required minimum (144″). We cannot have a stairway that is 60” wide and the other one is 84”. Why? If we lose the 84” stairway to a fire, we only have the 60” stairway which is less than half the required width. Summary: We calculate the minimum required combined width by multiplying the occupant load of each floor by 0.3″ and using the largest number, which is 144″. We need two stairways, so we can divide the 144″ between the two stairs. However, since we only have two stairways, each stairway must be at least half of the 144″. View IBC Stairways StairsTools & Resources IBC Stair Width Calculation Read More » May 6, 2019 StairsTools & Resources Types of Stairs for Commercial and Industrial Use Read More » June 7, 2022
Calculating Single-Story IBC Stairway Width Tracy Mikulec Tracy Mikulec, a seasoned leader in the digital marketing realm, currently serves as the Director of Digital at SixAxis, a pioneering manufacturer of industrial and commercial safety products from renowned brands like SafeRack, ErectaStep, and Upside. With a career spanning over three decades, Tracy has been at the forefront of digital innovation, ecommerce, and technology strategy. Since January 2015, Tracy has been instrumental in shaping the digital landscape at SixAxis, LLC, based in Andrews, South Carolina. His role involves leading digital strategies and overseeing technological advancements for SixAxis and its diverse portfolio of brands. May 07, 2019 Estimated reading time: 2 minutes If you haven’t read our IBC Stair Width Calculation article, I recommend reading that first so that you can see the IBC codes we reference. If you have already read it, below is a scenario in which we calculate the required width of a multiple stairways serving one floor. Scenario: We need exit stairs from the second story of a building. There is a sprinkler system, but the system was not installed per code requirements. The occupant loads are as follows: Floor 1: 175 occupantsFloor 2: 300 occupants The required total stairway width per floor is as follows: Floor 1: Not applicable because this floor is ground level.Floor 2: 300 occupants x 0.3” = 90” We will need two stairways because we have an occupant load between 1 and 500 per story. The 90″ width can be divided between the two stairways. BUT in case a stairway is destroyed or inaccessible during an evacuation, the remaining stairway needs to be at least half of the required minimum (144″). We cannot have a stairway that is 44” wide and the other one is 46”. Why? If we lose the 46” stairway to a fire, we only have the 44” stairway which is less than half the required width. Summary: We calculate the minimum required combined width by multiplying the occupant load of the floor by 0.3″, which is 90″. We need two stairways, so we can divide the 90″ between the two stairs. However, since we only have two stairways, each stairway must be at least half of the 90″. StairsTools & Resources IBC Stair Width Calculation Read More » May 6, 2019 StairsTools & Resources Types of Stairs for Commercial and Industrial Use Read More » June 7, 2022
