Slip and trip falls on stairs account for the majority of accidents in most buildings and work places. This can be due to a couple of interacting factors which include:
- Visibility of the steps
- Slip resistance of the treads
Visibility and Slip resistance of the treads
One “best practice” option for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officers, is to use anti slip strips with a luminance contrast (or L.R.V.* value) greater than 30% on the nose or very edge of the stairs. The width of the anti-slip strips should be around 50-100mm. This not only assists persons to negotiate the stairs by clearly defining the edge of the steps, but also gives a reassuring grip under-foot, thus reducing the risk of a miss-step on the stairs.
How do we place our requirement?
It makes it easier to discuss your requirements for safety grit tapes or stair nosing when we all understand the terminology of the steps. There is a vast amount of information about steps at wikipedia, but here are the main components of a step and their meaning.
Understanding Stair Parts
In simple terms, a step is composed of the tread and the riser. The tread is the section of the stair that you step or stand on, while the riser is the virtical section between the steps. Most glass or wooden steps have “open” risers.
Working Out Your Requirements
As part of your OHS strategy, we will need to know the total length of the tape or other nosing you will require. Additionally we will need the required depth of tread you want to cover. Will it be 50mm, 100mm or 150mm wide tape. Would you require stair nosing to cover a small portion of the tread or would you prefer a full tread cover?
In this case we will need the tread width which is the measurement from left to right when you stand in front of the step – and the tread depth, from front to the back of the step.
For your colleagues’ safety, you can call Anne on 021 855 1509 or contact us to assist you and place your order.
* L.R.V. stand for Light Reflective Value and is important for staff and clients that may have visual imparement.