Portable staircase
View Patent ↗An improved portable staircase for assisting workers in excavation sites to ascend and descend safely without the needed use of handrail for workers to safely ascend and descend trenches in excavation sites, tunnels, and the like without using a handrail. The portable staircase includes a plurality of steps (e.g., treads) nested between at least two rails. Each of the rails may have a securing system at their upper and lower ends that are operable to rigidly secure the staircase to the ground.
1 . A portable staircase system operable to rapidly and temporarily deploy and secure to the ground and provide workers with egress and ingress to an excavation site, comprising:
a. a pair of siderails having a lower end and an upper end, each end having an anchoring system operable to secure the siderails to the ground;
b. a plurality of steps attached between said pair of siderails; and
c. a plurality of attachment conduits operable to receive a plurality of staircase attachments;
wherein said anchoring system includes fasteners operable to pass through receivers in each siderail, and is operable to connect a first portable staircase siderails to a second portable staircase siderails.
2 . The portable staircase of claim 1 , wherein said siderails are positioned at a constant angle ranging from about 300 to about 50° with respect to the ground.
3 . The portable staircase of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of steps have a riser height ranging from 6.5 inches to 10 inches and a tread run ranging from 11 inches to 8 inches.
4 . The portable staircase of claim 1 , wherein each of said receivers a through hole positioned at said upper end and said lower end of said siderail that is operable to align and secure one of said fasteners.
5 . The portable staircase of claim 4 , wherein said fasteners are anchoring nails or threaded nuts and bolts.
6 . The portable staircase of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of attachment conduits are positioned along a length of said siderail opposite to said steps and are operable to align said plurality of staircase attachments.
7 . The portable staircase of claim 6 , wherein said attachment conduits have a fastener system operable to secure said plurality of staircase attachments.
8 . The portable staircase of claim 6 , wherein said plurality of staircase attachments are different attachments secured to the staircase.
9 . The portable staircase of claim 6 , wherein said attachment conduit is a tube and said staircase attachments have a tube with a complementary geometry for aligning with said conduit.
10 . The portable staircase of claim 8 , wherein said different attachments is a handrail or a landing.
11 . The portable staircase of claim 1 , wherein said steps have a top surface with an anti-slip material.
12 . A method for deploying a plurality of portable staircases to assist workers ascending and descending from trenches in excavation sites, comprising:
a. a portable staircase comprising a plurality of steps secured between two siderails, each of said siderails having an upper-end rail and a lower-end rail with a fastening system operable to align a fastener;
b. aligning a first portable staircase upper-end rail with a second portable staircase lower-end rail and securing said first and second portable staircases together with said fastening system;
c. securing said first portable staircases lower-end rail to a base surface of a trench with an anchoring fastener; and
d. securing said second portable staircase upper-end rail to an upper surface of a trench with an anchoring fastener;
wherein a plurality of portable staircases may be secured between said first and second portable staircase.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said portable staircases further comprise a plurality of attachment conduits positioned along a length of said siderails.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said a plurality of portable staircases may be secured between said first and second portable staircases by attaching the siderail upper end to the siderail lower end of adjacent portable staircases.
15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said fastening system includes a locking clamp, locking latches, fitted coupling, or nut and bolt fastener.
16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said attachment conduits are operable to align and secure a handrail attachment to said siderail with a fastener.
17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said securing said second portable staircase upper-end rail said upper surface of a trench with an anchoring fastener attached to a landing attachment.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein said landing attachment secures to said upper-end rail and includes a ground anchor.
19 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said steps have a textured surface to prevent a user from slipping.
20 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said staircases fit in the bed of a pickup truck.