INTERIORS


© BWF Stair Scheme


Vital steps to safety


Kevin Underwood of the British Woodworking Federation discusses why staircase aesthetics must go hand in hand with safety, and why too often design flair can compromise it


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or many, the staircase is a central feature of any new home, and for self-builds it offers the ability to truly put a unique and personal mark on a property. So why is stair safety so important? According to the British Standards Institution (BS 5395-1:2010), trips, slips and falls on the stairs cause 500 deaths in the UK each year. Added to this, 250,000 non-fatal accidents take place on staircases in the home each year that are serious enough to require a visit to an A&E department or a doctor. When combined, this is the same as an accident occurring every two minutes on a staircase within the home in the UK.


nov/dec 2020 STEPS TO SAFER STAIRS


Safer stairs do not mean you have to compromise on design. At the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) we recommend that self-builders consider five vital design characteristics before designing and installing a new staircase.


CONSISTENT RISE


When going up or down a staircase, the brain subconsciously judges the depth of each step based on the first couple of steps and movements made. This means that if each step is not consistent in its depth then the brain will not adjust to the change, making everyone vulnerable to trips and slips on stairs. To help prevent


accidents, the step rise should only vary by one per cent throughout the staircase.


CONSTANT GOING


The ‘going’ of a stair (its width) can significantly affect a person’s ability to travel up or down the stairs safely. If the going is 30 cm or more, users are less likely to overstep. However, if a staircase must be narrower, consider surface finish that offers high slip resistance to reduce the risk of an accident.


GUARDING


Any potential fall over the side of a staircase presents a serious injury risk. For this reason, drops of more than 60 cm


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