staircase risks and regulations in australia
DESCRIPTION
A study commissioned by the Australian Building Codes Board revealed that the design and construction of buildings might be one of the factors that cause slips, trips, and falls. Apart from the increasing housing density of multi-storey homes, accidents that take place when going up or down the staircase could be a combination of human error and such building structures.TRANSCRIPT
Staircase Risks and
Regulations in Australia
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A study commissioned by the Australian Building Codes Board revealed that the design and
construction of buildings might be one of the factors that cause slips, trips, and falls. Apart from the
increasing housing density of multi-storey homes, accidents that take place when going up or down the
staircase could be a combination of human error and such building structures.
Staircase Risks
More than 110,000 hospital admissions and 500
fatal falls take place in Australia every year, and the
risks are higher for the ageing population. The
Monash University Accident Research Centre
(MUARC) reports that these cost about $1.3 billion
per year. They add that 12% of fall injuries that take
place at home are due to staircases.
Fall-related injuries are slowly outnumbering the
incidence of fire and motor vehicle accidents. In
fact, it’s among the leading causes of non-fatal
wounds and spinal and brain injuries in Australia
today. The Home Modification Information
Clearinghouse reported that around one in three
elderly aged 65 and older suffered from falls at least
once a year.
Building Regulations
About 60% of deaths in buildings are due to slips, trips, and falls on staircases. This statistic alone is
alarming, so the Australian Standards (AS) developed regulations that home contractors and staircase
specialists should follow. These include details on specific designs and constructions according to the
Building Code of Australia (BCA).
The AS 1657 (1992b) and AS 4226 (2008) serve as guidelines to promote the construction of safer
stairways, balustrades, ramps, and landings. The AS is trying to focus on the height of the steps and the
size of the total going instead of the access and mobility of the staircase itself.
Risks related to staircases are indeed alarming. If home contractors, staircase specialists, and
homeowners fail to seriously promote their safe construction and maintenance, their usefulness could
be overtaken by the risks they present.
Sources:
http://www.monash.edu.au/miri/research/reports/muarc281.pdf
http://www.homemods.info/publications-by-hminfo/summary/stairs-a-summary-
bulletin#main-content
http://www.activemetal.com.au/