GPC Podium Steps

The GPC Podium Steps (model PODX1225) are a UK-manufactured, PAS 250 certified low-level work platform for sustained work at one position — fit-out, maintenance, electrical, mechanical, decorating, stock picking and signage work that would otherwise be done off a stepladder. The platform is fully enclosed by a 1,000 mm all-round guardrail with saloon-style gates, so the operative is protected the whole time they are up there rather than relying on three points of contact.

Specification

• Certified to PAS 250 — the British product standard written specifically for low-level work platforms
• Two platform heights: 1,225 mm and 1,475 mm (model PODX1225)
• Platform size: 670 × 670 mm, non-slip
• 1,000 mm all-round guardrail system
• Saloon gates for access on and off the platform
• Only two removable parts — the platform deck and the access ladder
• Mobile on 2 × swivel braked castors
• Folds and unfolds in seconds; fits through a standard doorway
• Manufactured by GPC Industries Ltd in the UK

What working height do the two platform heights give you?

Podium steps are specified by platform height, not working height, which is the single most common ordering mistake. A useful rule of thumb is to add roughly 1.5 m of comfortable reach above the platform for an average adult working with both hands. On that basis:

Treat those figures as a starting point, not a specification — reach varies with the person and with whether the job needs one hand or two. Measure the actual task height and work back. If the answer is above about 3 m you are out of podium territory and into mobile work platforms and warehouse steps, or a tower.

Podium steps or a stepladder?

This is the question the product exists to answer. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 an employer must select equipment suitable for the task, and the standard test is duration and whether the work needs both hands. A stepladder is defensible for brief, light work where you can keep a handhold. It is much harder to defend for a task that keeps someone at height for a sustained period, needs both hands, or involves leaning or reaching sideways — which is most fit-out and maintenance work.

A podium changes the risk rather than reducing it: the guardrail and gates mean a slip does not become a fall, and the enclosed platform lets the operative use both hands and turn without thinking about their footing. The trade-off is honest — a podium is heavier, bulkier, slower to reposition and very much more expensive than a stepladder. It earns that back on jobs where someone is up and down all day or where a fall-from-height incident would be a serious matter.

Price, and where this sits in the market

This podium is £1,282.32 inc. VAT as configured. We will be straight with you about where that sits: most podium steps on the UK market are priced between roughly £280 and £900, and lighter aluminium trade podiums sell for less than half what this one costs. This is a heavier-duty, UK-manufactured, PAS 250 certified unit intended for repeated industrial and commercial use, not a van-kit podium. If you need a podium for occasional light work, a cheaper unit from a ladder specialist will serve you better. If you are buying for a maintenance team that will use it weekly for years, the build and the certification are what you are paying for.

What we do not offer

• No hire. A large part of the podium market is hire — if you need one for a single job, a plant hire company is the sensible route. We sell new equipment only.
• No second-hand or refurbished podiums.
• One model only. This is the single podium in our range, at the two platform heights listed; we do not carry a telescopic, 3-tread or double-width variant.
• The product data states PAS 250 certification. It does not state BS 8620. If your site specification or principal contractor calls for a particular standard by name, confirm it with us against this model before you order rather than assuming.

Using it safely

Deploy on firm, level ground; check both castor brakes are applied before climbing; keep the saloon gate closed in use; do not stand on the guardrail or place a step, box or ladder on the platform to gain height; and keep the 670 × 670 mm platform clear enough to stand and turn. Inspect before each use and formally under PUWER 1998 at suitable intervals — the guardrail fixings, the gate latch, the deck surface and the castor brakes are the parts that fail first. Our guide to choosing warehouse steps covers the wider low-level access decision, and the podium steps and access platforms & steps pages show the rest of the range.

GPC Industries stocked range: pallet trucks, distribution and turntable trucks, basic Climb-It safety steps, ackerman trailers and other standard items are typically dispatched in 5–10 working days from order acceptance.

GPC Industries has been the UK's leading trade-only supplier of access, material-handling and storage equipment for 40+ years.

Delivered by UK pallet freight. Note: additional surcharges apply to Scottish Highlands, Islands and remote postcodes. For accurate timing or remote-area quotes, contact us.

Your product is covered by a 12 month Warranty or more if you opted for the extended warranty. Make sure you register your product.