Over 100 of National Grid’s vehicles have now been fitted with a foot-operated cassette-type step sourced from AVS to ease load area entry. Such steps will now be fitted as standard to all Ford Transit 350 vans acquired by the operator says fleet operations manager, Gary Foster.“Our engineers frequently have to enter and leave the load compartment of our vans through the side loading door,” he says. “We’re fitting the steps to help reduce the stress on leg joints and to minimise the risk of slips, trips and falls.”
The step fitted to the 350 is stowed beneath the vehicle when not in use. It’s finished in yellow non-slip paint and employs soft springs to slow down deployment. Nobody wants a step to rocket out of the side of a van and catch them on the shin. Health and safety requirements governing vehicle access may mean that more and more operators will have to equip the load areas of their vans with steps AVS believes.
