Temporary Stairs & Bridges
HERMEQ temporary stairs and bridges give crews safe, stable access between elevated work areas and over obstacles at ground level on the jobsite. The range covers folding steel stairways, modular spiral stair towers that stack to 60.5 ft, pedestrian bridges and crossover stairs for trenches and pipelines, and a crane loading platform for materials. Steps, treads and decks have non-slip surfaces, and every unit is built to be lifted by crane or moved on its handles, so access can move with the work. Contractors use them to connect scaffold decks, structures and floor slabs during construction, and maintenance and industrial teams use them wherever access is needed for a set period.
Temporary stairs, stair towers and foot bridges
The range splits by the job: the stairway and the spiral stair tower take crews up to a working level, the pedestrian bridge and crossover stairs carry foot traffic over an obstacle at ground level, and the loading platform handles materials so they never travel by stair.
Temporary stairway
The temporary stairway is a folding straight flight of non-slip steps for access between two levels, such as a floor slab and a mezzanine, a scaffold deck and grade, or a basement and the floor above. It comes in a series of step counts, folds flat between uses and locks open on site, and its handles and crane hooks let a crew reposition it as the work moves. Choose it for single-level rises inside buildings and on open sitework where a ladder would otherwise be the only way up.
Temporary spiral staircase (stair tower)
The temporary spiral staircase is a stair tower built from stacked galvanized steel modules. The tower rises with the building one module at a time and is lifted by crane when access is needed elsewhere on the site. It is the type to choose for multi-story access on a tight footprint, in place of ladders or a scaffold stair tower.
Temporary pedestrian bridge
The temporary pedestrian bridge is a folding steel footbridge with anti-slip treads that carries workers or the public over trenches, canals, drainage channels and rough ground. It sets up quickly, folds for storage and has handles and lift points for repositioning by crane. Choose it when a gap is too wide to step over safely and a walking route has to stay open while the ground below is excavated or under water.
Pedestrian crossover stairs
The pedestrian crossover stairs, also known as an up-and-over bridge, are a short stepped crossing that takes people up, over and back down a low obstacle. They suit pipelines, hose and cable runs, low barriers and narrow trenches, where the obstacle cannot be moved and walking across it would create a trip hazard. The unit folds for transport, and safety locks hold the steps open in use.
Crane loading platform
The crane loading platform is the one product in the range built for materials: it projects from a floor edge so the crane can land pallets, formwork and supplies directly onto an upper floor. It is fixed with anchors or held in place by braces, and it is made for repeated use from one project to the next alongside the site's crane lifting equipment.
Temporary stairway or modular stair tower
The height of the climb decides between them. The folding stairway covers rises up to about 11.8 ft, which takes in most single-level climbs: slab to slab during an interior build-out, a basement excavation, or a scaffold deck close to grade. It folds, moves on its handles or a crane hook, and fits confined spaces where a scaffold stair cannot be built, so it is the right choice where access points change from week to week.
The spiral stair tower is the right choice once the climb passes a single story. Its modules stack to 60.5 ft, and because each flight turns around itself, the tower stands on a compact footprint where a straight stair to the same height would need a long structure with several landings. It stays in place through longer phases of the job and relocates by crane, so place it within crane reach and keep a clear landing at every floor it serves.
Temporary stairs for construction sites and events
Multi-story and high-rise construction
On a frame going up floor by floor, a spiral stair tower gives crews a fixed route to each level while the crane loading platform takes deliveries at the slab edge. Running the two together keeps block, rebar and drywall off the stairs, so the people climbing and the materials arriving never share a route. Open slab edges and landings around both still need edge protection, and stair openings need handrail systems until the permanent rail is installed.
Interior build-outs and phased work
Inside a building, access moves with each trade and each phase, and a scaffold stair is slow to erect and dismantle in the space available. A folding stairway can be set at a mezzanine, a raised floor or a split level for the length of one phase, then folded and carried to the next area. Keep a clear landing at the top and bottom of every flight so that materials stacked nearby never block the way off the stairs.
Trench, pipeline and utility work
On excavation and utility jobs the crossing has to stay usable while the trench is open and heavy equipment works beside it. Set the bridge or crossover back from the trench edge on firm, undisturbed ground where the edge cannot give way under its ends, and keep it clear of equipment routes, spoil piles and the swing radius of excavators. Mark the approach so workers do not step across the trench at a narrower point. Other crossing formats are in the ground protection range of temporary bridges.
Events and public walkways
Event organizers and municipalities use pedestrian bridges and crossover stairs to carry the public over cable runs, drainage channels and temporary works along a walkway. A public route carries far more foot traffic than a jobsite crossing, so place the crossing where the crowd already flows and leave room for people to queue at each end.
Sizing temporary stairs and pedestrian bridges
Once the type is settled, three checks decide what to order.
Height between levels
Measure the vertical rise from the lower landing to the upper one before ordering, because each stairway step count covers its own band of heights and the longer flights have a minimum height as well as a maximum. A flight matched to the rise sits at its intended pitch, and a long flight chosen for a short rise does not. Across the range, access runs from a rise of about 2 ft on the shortest stairway to the full height of a stair tower, where the number of modules follows from the height of the top landing.
Length of the crossing
Measure the obstacle at its widest point, then add enough length to land each end on firm ground clear of any edge. Crossover stairs cover short lengths of about 6 to 10 ft for pipelines, hoses and low obstacles, and the pedestrian bridge spans about 12 to 27.5 ft for open trenches, canals and wider gaps. Where a gap falls between the two, choose the bridge so neither end sits near a soft edge.
Users per flight and width
Every stairway and tower flight is rated for a set number of people at one time, from one person on the shortest folding flights up to three on the longest. Size the stair for the busiest time of day, such as a shift change, when the whole crew climbs at once. Crossover stairs come in a standard and a wider width, and the wider format is the one to pick where workers carry tools and materials across or where foot traffic runs in both directions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The temporary stairway does not need a licensed installer. The crew assembles it on site by following the operation manual supplied with it, and anti-folding locks hold it open once it is set. The spiral stair tower is built from modules designed for quick assembly and is placed by crane, so plan each lift with the crane operator.
The temporary spiral staircase, the pedestrian crossover stairs and the crane loading platform are ANSI compliant. Each product page sets out the compliance details for that unit.
On a jobsite it is often called a temporary footbridge, foot bridge, site access bridge or temporary pedestrian walkway. A short stepped crossing over a pipe or cable run is usually called a crossover, crossover stairs or an up-and-over bridge.
The temporary stairway is built for access between uneven levels, and the pedestrian bridge for crossings over uneven terrain. Each unit still needs firm, compacted bearing under its feet or ends, so on soft or sloping ground set it on a level base such as timber pads or compacted fill. Check that the unit sits square and its locks are engaged before anyone uses it.
The spiral stair tower is galvanized steel, and the folding stairway, pedestrian bridge and crossover stairs are steel units with non-slip steps and treads. The crane loading platform uses both steel and aluminum in its construction. Material details for each unit are on its product page.