GRP solutions for workplace health and safety
SGI Composites helps health and safety, facilities and maintenance teams improve the physical conditions people work in. Our products address slippery surfaces, difficult maintenance access, exposed openings and liquid-storage risks across industrial, commercial and public-facing sites.
We bring together bespoke GRP access systems, Safe Tread anti-slip products and Safe Spill containment. Whether you are acting on an inspection finding or planning improvements across several locations, we can help you select a practical response to the hazard.
Start with the task, the people and the conditions
A wet stair, an awkward pipe crossing and a leaking drum create different problems. The right improvement starts with understanding how the area is used: who walks through it, what they carry, what reaches the floor and how the area is cleaned or maintained.
Send us photographs, measurements and the findings from your site assessment. We can discuss suitable products and bespoke arrangements around the conditions you identify, helping turn a list of defects into a defined scope for procurement and installation.
Our work supports manufacturing sites, warehouses, depots, healthcare estates, schools, commercial buildings and utility facilities. The requirement may be a small retrofit or a permanent access structure made for a particular task.
Reduce slip risks on stairs, floors and external routes
Safe Tread anti-slip stair nosing provides a gritted surface at the leading edge of a step. Colour selection can help distinguish the edge from the surrounding tread, with light reflectance information available to support specification.
Measure the existing step profile and consider who uses the staircase. The fixing detail and the transition onto the product should be assessed as part of the finished stair, including at the top and bottom of a flight.
Where the tread itself needs attention, Safe Tread stair tread covers provide wider coverage over suitable existing stairs. They are available for internal and external applications and can be discussed alongside landing requirements.
The condition of the staircase remains important. Resolve loose, unstable or deteriorated elements before treating the surface, and select the fixing arrangement for the actual substrate.
For suitable solid surfaces, Safe Tread non-slip floor sheets offer a rigid, gritted overlay. They can be considered for areas such as access ramps, platforms and walkways, with attention to panel edges and changes in level.
For timber decking and steps, anti-slip decking strips provide a screw-fixed treatment. Check the condition of the timber first and identify drainage or vegetation issues that are contributing to the problem.
Open mesh GRP grating allows water to pass through the panel and is available in different depths. For a new or replacement flooring section, the load, clear span and supports determine the selection.
An open-mesh panel and a solid floor overlay serve different purposes. Tell us whether you are replacing a supported floor or improving the surface of one that is already in place.
Give maintenance teams a defined access route
Repeatedly stepping over pipework or reaching across equipment makes routine tasks harder to manage. Our bespoke GRP access platforms can be arranged around an obstruction or working position, with the layout matched to the task.
Consider the approach, the working area and the exit route together. The dimensions need to accommodate the person, the tools and the activity, as well as the available space.
GRP walkways help establish a clear route to plant and service areas. Bespoke GRP handrails can be incorporated into an appropriate access design, with the arrangement determined by the location and required protection.
These components should be considered as a system. Supports, fixings, interfaces and maintenance access all affect how the installation performs after handover.
Our GRP riser flooring, trench covers and tank and pit covers address different types of opening. Choose the system around the opening’s use, required loading and how frequently access beneath it is needed.
A cover intended for one duty should not be assumed suitable for another. Include vehicle movements, removable sections and nearby work activities in the brief.
Contain stored liquids before they spread
Safe Spill, part of SGI Composites, provides secondary containment products for oils and compatible chemicals. This range includes drum spill bunds, IBC spill bunds and containment bunds in a range of sizes.
Selection should take account of container dimensions, required capacity, chemical compatibility and the way liquids are dispensed. Keep inspection and cleaning access in mind when planning the storage area.
For a fixed bund with damaged or exposed surfaces, our GRP bund lining service offers an alternative type of intervention. Wall and floor lining can also be considered for areas subject to repeated liquid or chemical exposure.
Product selection is one part of controlling the risk
A surface treatment works best within a wider plan for the area. Contamination, cleaning, footwear, lighting and pedestrian movement can all influence slip risk. HSE’s guidance on workplace slips and trips highlights the importance of managing wet or dirty floors, addressing spillages and dealing with damaged flooring.
For your product enquiry, the following details help:
- Location: indoor, outdoor, exposed, sheltered or regularly washed down.
- Users: employees, contractors, visitors and any relevant accessibility needs.
- Contamination: water, oil, dust, food residues or process chemicals.
- Existing condition: substrate, damage, loose fixings and drainage.
- Use: foot traffic, carried loads, maintenance tasks and vehicle movements.
- Delivery: access restrictions and times when the area can be taken out of use.
We use this information to discuss the physical improvement. Your site risk assessment and working arrangements remain essential to how the area is managed.
Workplace safety projects in practice
At Ringway, salt exposure and wet conditions had contributed to deterioration of the existing steel platforms. SGI supplied and installed replacement GRP access infrastructure across four washdown stations, with work coordinated around live depot operations.
SGI delivered a bespoke rooftop access system at Frimley Park Hospital, bringing together walkways, platforms, stairs and associated protection. The project shows how a planned access network can support maintenance across a complex, operational estate.
Turn your next safety action into a defined improvement
Show us the area, explain the task and tell us what your assessment has identified. We can help you move from a general requirement to a product selection or bespoke access proposal.