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Commercial & Industrial Steel

Steel Platforms & Catwalks
in Houston, TX

Industrial access platforms, catwalks, crossovers and ladders for Houston plants, warehouses and process buildings. Detailed to OSHA 1910, welded to AWS D1.1, hot-dip galvanized and installed by our own crews.

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Worker bolting handrail on a galvanized grating catwalk at a Houston-area plant
23Years Building in Houston
1,850Tons of Access Steel Set
240KSq. Ft. of Grating Installed
98%Repeat & Referral

Service Overview

Access Steel Built to OSHA 1910 for Houston Plants

Access steel gets built once and used every shift. A guardrail three inches too low, a missing toe board or a catwalk that flexes underfoot will stop an OSHA walkaround cold. Platforms and catwalks detailed to 29 CFR 1910 and load rated on paper fix that. Jimenes Construction is a self-performing steel contractor in Houston, TX, with 23 years on the Gulf Coast. Our own crew measures, welds, coats and installs the access steel your operators and millwrights stand on.

We build for plants, refineries, warehouses and process buildings. That covers equipment access platforms, elevated walkways, pipe and conveyor crossovers, ships ladders and caged fixed ladders. For new floor area inside a building, start on our steel mezzanines page. For egress stair towers and building handrail, see steel stairs and railings.

OSHA sets most of the geometry. Guardrails stand 42 inches give or take 3 inches, and toe boards are at least 3.5 inches tall. Every platform we build carries a design load we can show you. We fabricate the assemblies in the shop, then bolt them to your building frame or your equipment supports in the field.

Access Steel at a Glance

  • Self-performed shop and field crews
  • Commercial and industrial only
  • OSHA 29 CFR 1910 walking-working surfaces
  • 42 in guardrail, 3.5 in toe board
  • Serrated bar grating, banded and clipped
  • Hot-dip galvanized to ASTM A123
  • Load rating issued with every platform

Coverage

Access Steel We Self-Perform

Each of these carries its own geometry, its own load rating and its own inspection. We run all six in house.

Equipment Access Platforms

Elevated platforms for valves, motors, filters and sample points. Framed in wide flange or channel, decked in grating, and rated for the load your crew puts on it.

Catwalks & Elevated Walkways

Straight runs and switchbacks that link equipment, roof units and mezzanine levels. Handrail, toe board and grating come out of the shop as one assembly.

Pipe & Conveyor Crossovers

Stepovers and crossovers that get people over pipe runs, conveyors and curbing. Bolted together so a unit can move when the line changes.

Ships Ladders & Fixed Ladders

Ship ladders at 50 to 70 degrees for tight access. Fixed ladders with landings, walk-through rails and a ladder safety system where the climb passes 24 feet.

Handrail, Guardrail & Toe Board

Guardrail at 42 inches with a midrail and a 3.5 inch toe board, built to OSHA 1910.29. Removable sections where a crane has to reach the equipment.

Bar Grating & Walking Surfaces

Serrated carbon steel grating, galvanized plank grating and checker plate. Cut, banded and clipped down so nothing lifts underfoot.

Our Process

Our Platform & Catwalk Process

Five steps, the same on a single pump platform and on a 300-foot catwalk run. Call (832) 576-3278 to start at step one.

  1. 01

    Field Measure & Access Walk

    We walk the unit with your operators and measure around live equipment. Reach, headroom, egress and the path a maintenance cart takes all get recorded on the spot.

  2. 02

    Load Rating & Shop Drawings

    We set the design load, size the framing and grating, then issue shop drawings for your review. Anchor and connection details are settled before any steel is cut.

  3. 03

    Fabrication & Galvanizing

    Members are cut, drilled and welded to AWS D1.1 in our shop. Assemblies then go out for hot-dip galvanizing to ASTM A123 where the service calls for it.

  4. 04

    Install Around Live Equipment

    We badge in, pull hot work and confined space permits, and set steel inside your outage window. Bolted connections keep hot work low in process areas.

  5. 05

    Punch, Inspection & Turnover

    Guardrail height, toe board, grating clips and ladder clearances get checked against OSHA. Weld records, load ratings and as-built drawings go in the closeout package.

Timeline

How Long Do Platforms and Catwalks Take?

Real ranges from our own job records, from field measure to turnover.

Project TypeTypical SizeDuration
Ships ladder or caged fixed ladder8 - 30 ft rise3 - 7 Days
Single equipment access platform60 - 250 sq ft1 - 3 Weeks
Pipe or conveyor crossover10 - 30 ft span1 - 3 Weeks
Plant catwalk run100 - 300 linear ft3 - 6 Weeks
Multi-level access structure2,000 - 6,000 sq ft5 - 10 Weeks

Engineering & Compliance

Materials, Methods & Code Compliance

Access steel answers to OSHA, to the load your crew puts on it, and to Gulf salt air. We rate every platform and coat it for the room it lives in.

Safety & Plant Access

  • OSHA 1910 Subpart D walking-working surfaces
  • Fall protection required at 4 feet in general industry
  • Hot work, confined space and lockout permits followed
  • TWIC badging for Port of Houston facilities

Grating, Rail & Materials

  • Serrated bar grating sized off NAAMM MBG 531 load tables
  • A36 plate and shapes, A500 tube handrail
  • Hot-dip galvanizing to ASTM A123, hardware to A153
  • Saddle clips and banding at every free grating edge

Code & Standards

  • OSHA 29 CFR 1910.22, .23, .25, .28 and .29
  • 42 in guardrail, 21 in midrail, 3.5 in toe board
  • IBC Table 1607.1: 40 psf catwalks, 60 psf walkways
  • AWS D1.1 welding by qualified welders only

Inspection & Sign-Off

  • Design load on the shop drawing and at the access point
  • Weld and bolt records kept for every assembly
  • Third-party special inspection where the permit calls for it
  • As-built drawings and coating reports filed at closeout

Why Jimenes

Why Choose
Jimenes Construction

One Crew From Measure to Handover

Access steel goes wrong at the hand-offs. The same company field measures, details, welds, coats and installs, so the grating drops in the first time.

23 Years Around Houston Plants

We have built access steel along the Ship Channel and in Pasadena, Deer Park and Baytown. We know how badging, hot work permits and turnaround windows shape a schedule.

Every Platform Carries a Load Rating

The design load goes on the shop drawing and on a plate at the access point. Your safety team has a number to hand an inspector during a walkaround.

Line-Item Access Steel Pricing

Framing, grating, handrail, toe board, ladders, galvanizing and install each get their own line. Change orders are priced and signed before the crew starts them.

Credentials

Insurance, Warranty & Sign-Off

Texas does not license steel contractors or general contractors. We send the insurance certificate, welder qualification records and the platform load calculations with every proposal. Here is what a steel contractor in Houston can actually show you.

Permitted & Inspected City of Houston and Harris County
General Liability $2M per occurrence
Workers’ Comp Full crew coverage
Warranty 10-yr structural, 1-yr workmanship

Where We Work

Our Service Area

Headquartered in Houston and building access steel across the Greater Houston area. Our radius runs from inside the 610 Loop east to the Ship Channel plants and out past the Grand Parkway. If you searched for an industrial catwalk or platform contractor near me and landed here, this is the radius we cover. We can walk your site the same week.

Do not see your town? Call us, we travel for the right project.Check Your Address

Good Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Still working out the layout? Call and talk to the person who will field measure your platform.

Talk to a Builder
(832) 576-3278
How much do platforms and catwalks cost in Houston?

There is no square foot rate that holds up across jobs. Six things move the number:

  • Platform area, span and design load
  • Grating type, thickness and banding
  • Linear feet of handrail, midrail and toe board
  • Ladders, landings and any ladder safety system
  • Hot-dip galvanizing or a coating system
  • Field time, plant badging and outage rules
Send us a sketch or a photo of the equipment and you get a line-item quote. Shop work alone is priced on our steel fabrication page.

What does OSHA require on an industrial platform or catwalk?

In general industry, fall protection starts at 4 feet under 1910.28. A guardrail system under 1910.29 has a top rail 42 inches above the walking surface, give or take 3 inches, plus a midrail near 21 inches. Toe boards are at least 3.5 inches tall where things can fall on people below. The top rail has to take a 200 pound force in any outward or downward direction. The walking surface itself has to carry the maximum intended load under 1910.22, which is why we put a rating on every platform.

Ship ladder, fixed ladder or stairs: which one fits our access?

Angle and how often people climb decide it. Standard stairs run 30 to 50 degrees and suit daily traffic with tools. Ship ladders run 50 to 70 degrees and fit where floor space is tight. Fixed ladders run 75 to 90 degrees and suit occasional access only. Fixed ladders installed since November 2018 need a ladder safety system or personal fall arrest above 24 feet, and cages stop counting as fall protection everywhere in 2036. We build all three, and matching building stairs are on our steel stairs and railings page.

Do we have to shut the unit down to install a catwalk?

Usually not for long. We shop-build the assemblies while the unit runs, then install inside your outage or turnaround window. Bolted connections keep hot work down in process areas, and night or weekend crews work where daytime access is blocked. Our crews carry plant orientation and TWIC badging for Port of Houston facilities.

Should our platforms be galvanized or painted?

Along the Ship Channel and in wash-down or process areas, hot-dip galvanizing to ASTM A123 is the safer choice. Salt air and Gulf humidity cut through thin paint film in a few seasons. Indoor dry areas inside a warehouse can run a shop primer and finish coat instead. For heavy chemical exposure we use a duplex system, which is galvanizing with a coating over it.

Can you add a platform to equipment or a rack that is already standing?

Yes, and that is most of this work. We field measure the existing steel, check what it can carry, and add framing where the new load needs it. Tie-ins run into pipe racks, equipment supports and building columns. Cutting into a standing frame is covered on our steel repair and field modifications page. If the platform lands on grade, the base plates anchor into a slab or an equipment pad our concrete crews can set. Call (832) 576-3278 and we will come look.

Built On Integrity. Rated To OSHA.

Let's Build AccessThat Holds Up.

Free estimates, line-item pricing, and our own crews from the field measure to the last toe board.

Get a Free EstimateOR CALL (832) 576-3278
Jimenes Construction truck