Stairway handrail & stair balusters & guard details are in this sketch.īalusters (vertical posts comprising the barrier in guards and railings) The result is a dangerous child hazard as this baluster could easily be pushed out of place. Someone tried an over-sized common nail to "repair" this loose baluster at its connection to the stair tread. Look closely at stair and guard rail balusters for loose, split, broken, or damaged balusters.
#Virginia stair rail code code#
Our opinion was that code exemption did not do much to reduce the falling hazard and that guards and railings should be provided regardless. A local inspector opined that because the deck was not attached to the house (it abutted the house) it was exempt from building code enforcement. Where building code enforcement was absent or lax we found a deck eight feet above ground with no railings at all. We also often see decks and porches more than 30" above ground level with no guardrail whatsoever, perhaps relying on the placement of plants or furniture to discourage people from stepping too close to the edge. Because a toddler can easily climb these materials, they are not safe for guard or railing enclosures and should not be used. We often see guards and railings enclosed using horizontal members or mesh or link fencing materials.
Horizontal guardrail enclosures are also a child hazard. Tampa Bay Times, 18 January 2006 cited at REFERENCESĮven if the guardrailing has adequate strength it may be unsafe if it is too low or if the spacing between its balusters is too great. This accident could have been prevented if the home's owners had understood the implication of loose, wobbly balusters and guardrailing, but news reports of the guardrail failure also suggest that the railing in a home built in 1994 and constructed using glue and staples, was unable to withstand anticipated loads (200 pounds) or even smaller forces such as that imposed by a child leaning on the railing. In 2006 a Tampa Bay Florida child, Julia Grimes, was critically injured after a glue-and-staple-constructed guardrail at the top of a residential stair gave way. Injuries due to stair or guardrail baluster failures do occur, it's not just theory. We also include references to key documents on building codes and stair and railing safety. Having investigated cases of severe injury related to falls and railing collapses we developed this field data collection checklist. Balusters and Safe Spacing for Stair Railings & Balcony or Landing Rails We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. Īs our photo shows, Chloe Mei, a toddler (in this case very carefully held and supervised) could easily fall through widely separated open landing balusters or open balusters on a stairway. This article describes procedures for performing safety inspections of the balusters used on indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings. Stair baluster safety & code specifications: We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.