A gangway is a type of walkway that allows people to safely get from Point A to Point B, where the height of Point B can often change and therefore the gangway itself must be able to be easily and quickly adjusted to meet these different heights.
For example, when workers need to safely access to the tops of tanker trucks, they walk on Gangways. Tanker trucks can vary in height and size. Therefore, the access gangway must be able to raise and lower to easily reach the top of the tanker, where loading, unloading or tanker maintenance occurs.
It is critical that workers have safe, easy access to the tanker’s top side. This is achieved by use of the gangway.
Gangways also provide safe access to the tops of railcars. Like tanker trucks, rail cars are used to haul various liquids and solids that are loaded via a top-mounted access hatch that must be reached by an employee.
A gangway must also provide sure footing and feel solid and safe to walk on. People that use gangways every day need to feel confident that even though the gangway might change positions throughout the day, it feels just as solid to walk on as being on the ground.
Gangways are often outfitted with attachments that allow the workers to complete their task(s) more efficiently. Attachments can include loading arms which are designed to make loading of liquid products much easier.
Our gangways are custom made to meet the needs they are intended for. They can be made from various types of steel, including stainless steel. Stainless steel gangways are used when the gangway itself can be exposed to salt water or other chemicals that can cause other metals to corrode. We also manufacture aluminum gangways. Aluminum gangways are lighter and aluminum may be recommended for certain applications where its light weight or its material characteristics may be better suited for the job at hand.
While flat ramp gangways work effectively in many situations, if the incline gets too steep the surface that is walked upon can become tricky to navigate. Therefore, we have several gangway models which have walking surfaces that adjust themselves to the incline at hand. Our Self-Leveling Stairs are a great example of a gangway with treads that adjust to almost level, no matter what position the gangway is placed in, giving the worker confidence in knowing that his/her next step will be firm, secure and safe.
While one side of the gangway can be easily positioned at various heights to safely meet the vehicle being loaded or unloaded, the other side of the gangway is part of or mounted to another structure, such as a loading platform. It is from this platform that the height adjustments to the gangways are made. Our gangways use a proprietary system of spring tension to provide the counterweight needed to allow for effortless adjustments. The gangway, though big and heavy, moves as though it only weighs a few ounces.
Whatever your application, GREEN Access & Fall Protection has specialists that can help outfit your platform with a gangway that will perform exactly as you need it to. Contact us today for more information.
