Staircases

6.6

6.6.9Guarding

Staircases shall have guarding to prevent accidents by falling.

Guarding:

is required where the drop is more than 600mm at any point along the open sides of stairs and landings

is not required where the rise is less than 600mm and the stair or landing is not a means of escape

may be required where a stair abuts an opening window, to comply with relevant building regulations.

Where required, guarding should be:

provided along the full length of the flight, including landings

capable of resisting a horizontal force of 0.36kN/m at its minimum required height

a solid wall or balustrading

in accordance with Table 3.

Table 3: Guarding height

Type of stairs	Flights – minimum guarding height (mm)	Landings – minimum guarding height (mm)
Private stairs (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man)	900	900
Private stairs (Scotland)	840	900
Common stairs	900	1100

Balustrading should:

be fixed securely

not be climbed easily by children

not have openings larger than 100mm in diameter.

Where guardrails or balustrades are long, newel posts may not be sufficient to transfer the horizontal forces to the structure, and intermediate posts may be required. The method of fixing newels should be specified, e.g. through-bolted to joists.

Where glazing forms part of the guarding it should:

be toughened, laminated or glass blocks

not be wired glass.