Stair System
Similarly to Scaffolding, Screens also can offer solutions for external personnel access from level to level of the construction site. These solutions can be broken down into access only (construction) stairs and stretcher stairs.
Screen Stairs work by utilising a double skinned Screen, which is essentially two sets of Screens set apart and connected using specialised bracketry.
The double skinned Screens are used to house aluminium stair treads that stretch the height of a single floor.
Typically, the stairs cover the top three levels of the structure and allow personnel to travel down through the stairs and exit onto the slab below, where they can take internal stairs or the hoist to access further levels.
These stairs are important to the formwork cycle as typically the stairs within the core are not poured with the jump form, leaving no access other than the hoist to the top levels of the structure. This imposes a risk on the workers as any failure of the hoist would mean personnel could not exit the building safely.
The main difference between access only and stretcher stair Screens is that access only stairs house stair treads that are 600mm wide and only allow walking access for workers, whereas stretcher stairs house stair treads that are 1200mm wide and allow for an injured workers to be carried down the stairs on a stretcher in case of an emergency.