Press Releases

Providing for Stairway Safety
By David Cooper, SMA code and standard representative

Even ancient civilizations that did not have the wheel had stairs. Stairs provided access to multilevel organizations of structures whether a series of terraces on a hillside, an entrance to a temple, or to the upper stories of more complex architecture. The stairway is and has been for millennia a focal element of architecture.

The need to access the environment and the beginning notions of mathematics related to the human-form are the grounding fundamentals of staircase design. The Staircase is entwined within the art forms, language, and symbols, of basic human expressions of who we are and where we aspire to be. Stairs are a frequently used icon to suggest our progress. Although the ancients might have thought that a stair could be built to the moon, the process that actually put us their was organized in “steps” that moved us closer to our goal. The staircase is embedded in today’s architecture as an art form and the basis for its design and function is unchanged.

In addition to the ergonomics of ascent and descent the professional stair builder and designer recognize aesthetic values that describe the use and function of stairways and apply them to enhance practical access, mobility and compliant use of staircases and handrails. There is of course a direct correlation between this application and the safe use of the stairway. It is well understood that many factors affect the safe use of stairways however the design and construction of a well-made stair cannot address them all. If the user is inebriated, if objects are placed on the steps, if the carpet is loose or worn, if the lighting is not used, if children are allowed to play on the stair, accidents are likely to occur that are beyond the stair builders control.

Not every stair is designed and built by professional stair builders and regulations have been established to set the acceptable parameters that control safe stairway design by the building codes. Building codes are dynamic in that they are always in a process of review and development to meet the ever-changing needs of the built environment. Usually based on a model; individual towns, cities, counties, or states decide on what regulations are applicable to their region and adopt or modify a given code. You may be familiar with acronyms like ICBO, BOCA, or SBCCI each of these represents a model code organization that has merged to form the International Code Council in an effort to provide one model code for adoption across the country. The ICC provides a forum to the public in which to review and develop the regulations and standards that not only provide for the safe design and construction of stairways but the entire built environment.

The ICC code development process takes place over an 18-month cycle that begins with the request for code change proposals from the public. Anyone can submit a proposal for a change and is asked to provide a reason with a supporting statement by a specified deadline. All the proposals are then published in a monograph that is available in print, about the size of the largest phone directory you have ever seen, or by download from the ICC site www.iccsafe.org . The next step in the code development cycle is a series of public hearings by specialized committees that focus on a specific portion of the code such as fire, electric, plumbing, mechanical, etc. In each committee’s hearing, testimony is heard in support and opposition to each proposed change and then the committee votes to approve, disapprove, or modify the proposal. The committee’s actions are then published and public comments are requested. Public comments are submitted in a similar format to code change proposals, in writing, by a specified deadline. The public comments are then published in print and on the website for review by all interested parties. The last step in the cycle is called the Final Action Hearing. Again the proposals are heard in categories with the opportunity for testimony supporting and opposing the proposals. In this hearing however the voting body of the ICC membership hears and votes on the final action to be taken based on the previous committee’s study and recommended action, public comment, and direct testimony to the eligible voting membership. The process provides for comprehensive, fair and careful consideration of the issues and promotes the establishment of a solid, reliable, model code for adoption throughout the nation. Although the hearing locations are rotated around the country, to be active in this process is expensive and time consuming for an individual or a single company.

Professional stairbuilders are engaged in this process through the Stairway Manufacturers Association. Through the SMA, stairbuilders and ancillary businesses associated with the Stair industry are able to support testing and research as well. This information is then used to support the development of building codes and standards related to stairs. The SMA sponsored the first dynamic testing of actual stairway falls through independent scientists. The results of this testing has lead to the current regulation in the International Residential Code that specifies the acceptable shapes of handrails that provide for safe travel on stairways. In addition the SMA proposes reforms, to the stair codes, that assure consistent enforcement and interpretation, by providing representation at code development hearings. The SMA through the work of its Code and Research Committee also publishes the highly respected “Visual Interpretations” which provide accurate illustrations of each aspect of the code language. If you are interested in working with or becoming a member of the SMA or downloading their free visual interpretations you will find all at www.stairways.org .