A safety step is for reaching a top shelf or a high fitting without climbing on a box, a crate or a chair. It's quicker than fetching a ladder and far steadier than a chair. Which one suits you depends on who's using it and whether it has to move along the shelves with them.
The three types
| Step | Rated to | Shape | Height | Weight | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monstar safety step | 260 kg | Square | 375 mm | 3.5 kg | Carried |
| Safety step stool, 260 kg | 260 kg | Square | 370 mm | 5.0 kg | Carried |
| Safety step stool, 180 kg | 180 kg | Round | 395 mm | 4.2 kg | Rolls |
Rolling or fixed?
The 180 kg step stool sits on spring-loaded castors, so you can nudge it along the aisle with your foot. When you step on, the castors retract under your weight and the stool stays planted. It's the one for order picking, restocking, libraries and offices, where you work your way along the shelves all day.
The two square steps have no wheels. You carry them to the job and rubber feet hold them in place.
Two steps up or one
The square steps have a low step moulded into each of their four sides, so you go up in two short steps instead of one tall one, from whichever side is nearest. The round stool is a single step.
Rating and standing room
Both square steps are rated to 260 kg and have a 370 × 370 mm top, which gives your feet more room than the round stool's 315 mm diameter. Go for a 260 kg step for heavier users, or for anyone holding stock or tools while they stand on it. The rating has to cover the person and whatever they're carrying.
Monstar step or 260 kg stool?
There's not much in it. The Monstar step is the lighter of the two at 3.5 kg, so it's the easiest to carry between aisles. The 260 kg stool weighs 5.0 kg and has a rotomoulded LLDPE plastic body, rubberised feet and non-slip tape on the treads, for heavy daily use in depots, stores and plant rooms.
Colours
All three come in yellow (the Monstar, the 260 kg stool and the 180 kg stool), which is easy to spot and less likely to become a trip hazard. The 260 kg stool also comes in orange, handy for telling sets apart between areas, and the 180 kg stool in blue, which is less conspicuous in offices, libraries and shops.
Using one safely
- Use it on firm, level ground.
- Step onto the middle of the top. On the rolling stool, that makes sure the castors retract fully.
- Keep the anti-slip tread clean so it grips.
- If you need more height, use a platform or order picker ladder rather than stretching.
See all our safety steps.
