Every water and wastewater treatment plant manager strives to provide the best plant performance within a given operating budget since they are very cost conscious.

Wastewater and Water treatment plants historically used grating, stair treads, railing, ladders and structural platforms made from traditional materials (steel, galvanized steel, aluminum and wood). The popularity in these materials is not driven by the product that would provide the safest or longest lasting service life but the availability and initial product cost. While these traditional materials have been used in wastewater plant applications over 100 years, fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) products have only been available for nearly five decades

Faced with the safety problem of slippery steps and slick landing on an outdoor stairway at their facility, the facilities engineer at UPS was looking for solutions that would provide long lasting slip resistant stair steps and a platform landing. This stairway was the only way to access the driver dispatch office from the truck terminal parking lot. During rainy weather, the stairs became even more hazardous when the oily surface became wet.