In an article by Tom Raley on www.ehow.com titled “OSHA Safety regulations for Stairs and Handrails”, guidelines on the Occupational Safety & Health Administration regulations on safety stairs, stair railings and handrails are reviewed.  Stairs can be hazardous, these guidelines help transform dangerous slippery stairs into safety stairs.

Stairs

• Safety stairs must have railings or handrails.
• For open safety stairways, a stair railing with a maximum of 34 inches from the top of the railing to the surface of the stairs should be provided.  This height will also not be less than 30 inches from the top of the railing to the surface of the stairs.  An intermediate rail will also be provided approximately half way between the surface of the stairs and the top railing.

Incline

• The angle of the rise of safety stairs should not be less than 30 degrees and not more than 50 degrees.  Varying degrees of rise require different riser heights and different tread run distances.
• For example, safety stairs with a 30 degree rise will have a riser of 6 1/2 inches while the tread run will be 11 inches.

Stair treads

• The rise heights and tread width of the safety stairs must remain uniform for the entire distance of the stairway.  The treads must be constructed of slip resistant material while the nosing must be of nonslip material.

Overhead clearance

• Stairways will have a minimum clearance of 7 feet from the surface of the safety stairs to the ceiling or other overhead obstruction.

Stair strength

• Stairways will be constructed with sufficient strength to carry a load five times greater than the expected maximum load.  Regardless of your expected load limit, safety stairs are always required to have enough strength to carry a load of at least 1,000 lbs.

Each of the five factors listed above contributes to the safety and well being of pedestrians and workers.  Slips and falls on stairs can be devastating not to mention detrimental to any business. When safety stairs are installed companies can rest assured that they have done what they can to prevent accidents.

Non slip safety stair treads and nosings can be easily retrofitted to any set of existing stairs.  Slip resistant handrails give workers that extra grip needed while working hard.  By installing non slip metal safety stairs, it will help meet the requirement of slip resistance and strength.

Raley, Tom. “OSHA Safety Regulations for Stairs and Handrails” ehow.com <http://www.ehow.com/about_5063627_osha-safety-regulations-stairs-handrails.html> 

Filed under: Safety Stairs by Beth Faraci Social tagging: angle > ceiling strength > guidelines > handrails > incline > nonslip material > overhead clearance > railings > rise > riser > run > safety stairs > SlipNOT > stairways > tread > uniform nosing > workplace