Non-slip stair solutions from Global Safe Technologies - Are your stairs safe?
The Australian Building Codes Board recently commissioned the Monash
University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) to study the incidence of slips, trips
and falls and their relationship to the design and construction of buildings. The
study is now complete and the findings show the problem is significant. In Australia
each year there are over 500 fatal falls and over 110,000 hospital admissions
resulting from falls in buildings and these numbers are increasing as the population
ages. The study also shows the annual cost due to slips, trips and falls is around
$1.3 billion per annum.
Falls on stairs account for over 60% of slip, trip and fall deaths in buildings and
can result due to a number of complex interacting factors. Despite this, there are
minimal safe design and construction principles within building regulations; however
the following environmental factors when evaluating safe egress on stairways include:
- The visibility of the stairway.
- Slip resistance of stair treads.
- Provision of suitable handrails.
- Dimensional geometry of stairs.
The visibility of the stairway is critical to ensure that a person can prepare to
coordinate their gait during stair ascent and decent. For people with 'normal' vision
this relies on visual clues such as handrails, depth perception in good lighting
conditions and high visibility of step nosings. Poor delineation of the step edge may
confuse people negotiating the stairs, particularly in poor lighting conditions thus
increasing the risk of a miss step.
Best practice is to set slip resistive strips with a luminance contrast greater than
30% to the very edge of the stairs. The width of the strips should be between 50-75mm,
this assists persons to negotiate the stairs by clearly delineating the step edge,
thus minimising the risk of a miss-step. This is increasingly important when people's
eyes require time to adapt to lower lighting conditions. To highlight best practice,
these stair features are required for disability access requirements within AS 1428.1,
Design for Access and Mobility; Part 1: General requirements for access - Buildings.
The slip resistance in terms of the Required Coefficient of Friction (RCOF) during
moderately paced stair descent is comparable to that found during over ground walking.
It has been found that the RCOF of stair descent during weight acceptance is approximately
0.26. Thus in the absence of contaminants on the stair tread, frictional factors play a
minor role in stair safety during descent for internal stairs that are maintained in a
clean and dry condition, unless subjects wear poor footwear, resulting in low coefficients
of friction. For external stairs and transitional areas in entrances, the slip resistance
can be a significant factor and stair treads should achieve Pendulum Class W for public
areas where water contamination is likely, when tested to AS/NZS 4586, Slip Resistance
Classification of Pedestrian Surface Materials. Any slip resistant strips must be installed
to the edge of the nosing as when a person descends a flight of stairs, with an approximate
going of 250mm, the foot tends to make contact within 5 mm from the step edge.
The provision of handrails provides a visual clue that there are steps present to negotiate.
Handrails reduce the risk of a miss-step by increasing postural stability and assisting as a
fall restraint. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) provides limited prescriptive requirements
on handrails design. Besides the handrail height above the step best practice is for the
railing is to be semicircular, with not less than 30 mm or more than 50 mm diameter for not
less than 270° around the upper surface that does not tend to break a handhold. This handrail
arrangement provides a power grip, which encompasses the majority of the handrail assisting
fall arrest, rather than a relying on a pinch grip.
The dimensional geometry of stairs should establish a suitable gait pattern that is consistent
throughout the flight of stairs. For commercial premises the BCA requirements are that dimensions
risers be between 115 - 190 mm and goings between 250 - 355 mm. An attempt should be made for
goings to be greater than 300 mm as the risk of over stepping the edge of the stair is
significantly reduced. The going to riser ratio (2R + G) within the range of 550 - 700 assists
to promote a suitable gait pattern.
Dimensional inconsistency of stair going and risers can have a tremendous impact on a persons
gait and balance, and are generally not visually obvious. Stairs with an irregularity as little
as 6 mm between adjacent rise and runs can disrupt foot movements enough to cause a fall. A
person has an expectation of a certain distance at which to place their foot at each step. If
their expectation is not met, a fall can result from a misstep. This most often occurs when the
going dimensions are reduced significantly near the bottom of stairs when the pedestrian has
built a degree of confidence of where the next step will be to ensure proper foot placement.
Global Safe Technologies Safe Grip Stair Nosing can significantly reduce the risk of slip and
miss steps to stairs. The environmentally friendly polymer coating system is applied along the
edge of the nosing between 50-75 mm in width and between 1.5mm to 2mm thickness. The Safe Grip
Stair Nosing is stable underfoot and does not pose a tripping hazard. The colour range has
undergone independent slip resistance and luminance contrast testing by Safe Environments
Pty Ltd. The results of testing demonstrate that the nosing provided will not only be fully
compliant with the relevant slip resistance handbook HB197:1999 specified requirements, but
also with the relevant AS 1428.1 - 2001 requirements as well. On request Safe Environments
Pty Ltd can provide luminance reflectance and contrast testing, risk assessments and certification
of the stair installations.
The product also has the additional advantage of providing protection of the actual nosing as
well as being "applied" onto the surface, it has no issues with loose screws and with a trip
hazard, as well as nothing can get under the surface.
For further information about stair safety risk assessments including luminance contrast
requirements, slip resistance testing please contact Carl Strautins from Safe Environments
Pty Ltd on 02 9889 3002 or visit http://www.SafeEnvironments.com.au.
For further information about the Safe Grip product please visit
www.globalsafe.com.au/anti-slip-strips.php.
For further information on the Global Safe Technologies Australia's non slip solutions range
of products call us on 1300 668 620 or visit our website www.globalsafe.com.au/index.php#solution.
If you have any specific concern about your floor surface and would like to contact an Authorised
Dealer in your area visit http://www.globalsafe.com.au/contactus.php.
Your local Authorised Dealer will contact and arrange an appointment with you will visit your
site to assess the floor safety risk of your specific situation and will provide you with a
complimentary FREE Floor Safety Inspection Report.
For further information contact:
Global Safe Technologies (Australia) Pty Ltd
phone: 02 9726 6066
fax: 02 9726 6166
web: www.globalsafe.com.au
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