September 6, 2004—Injuries on stairs are a serious issue for employers and building owners. Every year in the UK there are more than 100,000 injuries due to slips and falls on non-domestic stairs, and about 100 fatalities.
This may, in fact, be an underestimate of the real problem as many minor falls are not recorded, and it has been estimated that the actual number of injuries could be up to five times higher.
One solution often considered for reducing slip on stairs is the fitting of proprietary nosings to steps, which include materials with slip-resistant properties.
But nosings must be chosen carefully and fitted correctly, if they are to be effective in reducing the likelihood of slipping accidents. To help designers and building managers assess the quality of their stairs and choose which type of proprietary nosing they should be using, BRE has produced Proprietary nosing for non-domestic stairs (IP15/03).
This Information Paper guides the reader through five simple questions that help establish the risk of large oversteps, a precursor to slipping. Suggestions are made on what to look for in a proprietary nosing for stairs, taking into account issues such as tread materials, nosing shape, going size, step variability, secure fitting and color contrast. It can also be used by manufacturers to determine the potential demand for different types of nosings, and enable them to develop products that will meet the suggested requirements.
Copies are available from the BRE Bookshop at a cost of 9.00, or 10.58 for a downloadable pdf version.
