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Fiberglass Step Covers for Metroparks’ Safety

Public parks are designed to make nature accessible and enjoyable for visitors. Like any natural environment, a park’s landscape is not easily controlled. Trails can become difficult to navigate after inclement weather or heavy traffic. Manmade structures like fishing piers, boardwalks, bridges, and stairs can become slick from rain or mildew. Whether guests are hiking, biking or taking a leisurely stroll, safety is always a top priority for park’s staff.  

Problem: Slippery Wooden Steps Cause Visitor Complaints 

When safety concerns regarding outside wooden stairs were brought to the attention of park officials, they began researching preventative measures to mitigate the risk of slips, trips and falls in that area. The stairs, found on a heavily traveled path, were reported by patrons as being slick due to inclement weather and moisture build-up.  

To combat the weathering and constant foot traffic, park maintenance would clean the stairs and apply a fresh coat of paint with some added anti-slip grit. This safety precaution, while effective in the short-term, would eventually deteriorate. Additionally, paint can only be applied during warmer, drier weather conditions. However, this solution needed to be applied during the winter months.

Park officials ultimately reached out to Sure-Foot Industries to explore low-maintenance, cost-effective durable anti-slip solutions that could keep visitors safe, even during harshest Midwest winters.   

Solution: Fiberglass Step Covers Improve Slippery Stairways 

Before suggesting possible anti-slip products, they first collected information about the problem area including stairway location, dimensions, traffic type, and volume.  

Sure-Foot approached the park project much the same way as other hazardous areas in industrial or maritime environments. 

Once a better understanding was gained about the project location, the Sure-Foot team immediately ruled-out certain anti-slip products. While our anti-slip tape may have provided rugged traction, tape cannot be properly applied in cold and wet conditions.

It was quickly determined that Sure-Foot’s fiberglass product was the answer to the park’s safety requirements. Unaffected by cold or moisture,  Sure-Foot’s Fiberglass Step Covers will withstand varying weather conditions while providing heavy-duty anti-slip protection. The product installed was the 11.75” anti-slip step cover in a medium grit surface.  

Implementation: Designing a Custom Anti-Slip Fiberglass Solution 

Sure-Foot’s non-slip fiberglass step covers are designed to provide reliable, durable and safer footing in some of the worlds most demanding environments.

A custom fiberglass solution was created to fit the exact dimensions of the park’s unique steps. The finished step covers were manufactured with a medium grit surface and included a front yellow edge with a black back to draw the attention of unaware pedestrians who may not recognize the stairwell.  

The product was delivered to the park’s maintenance department ready to be drilled and installed.  After reviewing Sure-Foot’s simple installation instructions, the maintenance team chose to use a combination of adhesive and screws to securely fasten the step covers to the existing steps.

Results: Customer Loves Quick Installation and Lasting Non-Slip Solution  

Park maintenance was pleased with how fast and easy the Sure-Foot FRP product could be implemented. They felt it made life easier, not only during initial installation. They realized it would provide a long-lasting, maintenance-free solution that wouldn’t require constant attention in the coming years.  

The park officials were so impressed with the ease of installation, lifetime value, and results provided by Sure-Foot’s FRP step covers; they called for the installation of more anti-slip products throughout the park system to improve visitor safety.  

If you are interested in the long-lasting safety benefits of Sure-Foot’s Fiberglass Step Cover solutions,  request a sample today. 

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