An Example of a Non-compliant Stair-case: A Case Study (Australian Standards)

What happens if you don’t get it right?

Have you ever fallen down a flight of stairs? I hope not! But from experience I can tell you that it’s not a very pleasant one. I slipped as I was walking down – I fell supine, hard, like a hammer on a nail, bang into the corner of the steps. The pain was absolutely numbing – I could walk for about three days, nor could I even roll over in bed for about that same period. Falling down stairs is a dangerous business – and if you’re in the business of designing or fabricating stairs – especially public access stairs, then you absolutely have to get it right. Because if you don’t, then it’s only a matter of time till someone falls. Luckily I was a young man, so I recovered pretty quickly. But if I was an invalid, a fall like that could be potentially life threatening!

Here is an example of a badly designed stair:

The steps are not uniform – they vary in height and length. This is not safe if you are traversing it. It’s easy to misjudge. That’s why when we do the shop drawings for a flight of stairs we check that it’s uniform, that you don’t have too many stairs in a flight, that there’s adequate room, that a child cannot squeeze his/her head in between the treads, etc. I have ascended and descended these steps – and were it not for the handrails, it would be very dangerous. Don’t do steps like this. Here were the measurement from the bottom riser going up:

1. 29 cm
2. 20 cm
3. 20 cm
4. 18 cm
5. 17.5 cm
6. 15.5 cm

The risers vary too much!

Our staff are trained to ensure that their stairs comply with Australian Standards. We’re definitely not the cheapest, but we’ll know if we see a bad design – and knowing that information could save you a bundle.