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Safety Checklist for Stairs, Railings, Landings
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about how to inspect steps, stairs, railings, banisters, landings, and balconies for safety and proper construction
Here we provide an actual data collection checklist for stair and railing inspection.
While no checklist is ever technically exhaustive, the list serves as an aid in learning how to inspect stairs, steps, landings, railings, balconies for safety and proper construction
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Stair Inspection Checklist & Form
Our page top photo shows unsafe exterior stairs at a New York City home entrance. Below we provide a stair inspection checklist that outlines information to collect during a field investigation of the condition of an interior or exterior stairway for safety defects. Having investigated cases of severe injury related to falls and railing collapses we developed this field data collection checklist. We also include references to key documents on building codes and stair and railing safety.
Stair Inspection Notes and Observations |
||
| Client: | . | |
| RE Case: | . | |
| Location: | . | |
| Inspection Date & Conditions: | . | |
| Inspector: | . | |
| Item | Measurement | Comments |
| Total Stairway Rise | . | . |
| Total Stairway Run | . | . |
| Landing top dimensions | . | . |
| ht. vs. int. floor | . | . |
| Entry door swing in/out | . | . |
| Landing intermediate dims. | . | . |
| Landing bottom dimensions | . | . |
| Tread width = stair width | . | . |
| Tread depth (horizontal) | . | . |
| Individual Tread Conditions | ||
| 1 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 2 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 3 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 4 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 5 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 6 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 7 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 8 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 9 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 10 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 11 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 12 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| Tread nose (indic. variation) | . | . |
| Tread level F-R (indic var) | . | . |
| Tread level L-R (indic var) | . | . |
| . | . | . |
| Railing Conditions | ||
| Railing height @ | . | . |
| Railing height @ | . | . |
| Railing height @ | . | . |
| Railing security | . | . |
| Railing cross section/Shape | . | |
| Baluster Conditions | ||
| Baluster spacing | . | . |
| 2nd Railing height @ | . | . |
| 2nd Railing height @ | . | . |
| 2nd Railing height @ | . | . |
| Lighting Conditions | ||
| Lighting/Switch at/watts/condition | . | . |
| Other Observations: | ||
| . | ||
Notes to Table of Stair & Railing Defects/Checklist
© Copyright 2017 Daniel Friedman
- 1st Tread = bottom
- Structural conditions to observe include connections, proper number and type of fastener, spans, condition of materials.
- Subtle details such as a wooden exterior stair tread installed upside down as we explain at WOOD FLOOR DAMAGE, (bark side up - it should be placed "down") can lead to cupping which can cause algae or ice and a subsequent slip and trip hazard.
- Circular stairs pose special problems concerning tread shape, potential walking area, railing design.
- Handrails pose special considerations beyond height and security, such as graspability, shape, condition.
- Report other construction details, structural connections, modifications, loose connections, support, posts, weather exposure/covering, weathering, rot, tread damage, tread nose wear/damage, moss, algae, cupping, splitting, tread connection and support (below), rail obstructions, rail grip, stairway obstructions, permits & "CO" obtained/missing)
Also see Building Safety Hazards Guide.
Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above
Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.
Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs
On 2020-05-31 - by (mod) -
Joy
I can't answer the question without seeing more of the building, but that's certainly a reasonable structural damage question to ask your home inspector prior to purchase. If the foundation wall is not cracked, bulged, leaning, Bode, Etc then more likely the problem is the stair structure itself that needs to be repaired or replaced.
On 2020-05-31 by Joy
I went to look at homes and found a home I really liked.
However, the basement stairs were leaning. leaning to the right of the wall.
How hard is it to repair this problem. Does this mean that there is a foundation problem with the home?
Should I spend inspection money on a home when I can already see that there are problems with the home.
On 2018-05-17 - by (mod) -
Also see
Goldstein, Matthew, Jessica Silver-Greenberg, "A New Spin on Funding Slip-and-Fall Lawsuits", The New York Times, 12 May 2018 p. b1-2
A federal indictment ... portrays a complex scheme, a sort of insurance fraud on steroids that lasted for five years and cost insurers and property owners $32 million. A group of five men orchestrated the fraud, recruiting poeple to stage so-called slip-and-fall accidents, and then organizing the legal and medical appointments that followed, the indictment says. Along the way, the group enlisted doctors, lawyers, and finance companies.
...
The indictment offers insight into the unregulated and opaque world of the litigation-finance business. Such finance firms ... typically bankroll defendants' alawsuits with large cash advances. The goal is to profit on the advances, some of which come with interest rates as high as 100 percent, from the proceeds of jury verdicts.
...
The primary litigation-finance firm involved in the scheme was Fast Trak Legal Funding ...
On 2016-12-13 by Connor
My grandfather has had claustrophobia since WWII and can't take elevators. Are commercial buildings required to have stairs that access all floors? I've taken him to several medical appointments. We climb the stairs only to find all of the floors have locked doors so we can't access the floor. Cheers and thanks.
On 2016-01-05 - by (mod) -
Dee
To make a reliable assessment of structural movement an on-site expert is needed; it'd be betting your money and safety without enough information to guess from a one line e-text; there are quite a few on-site observations that go into deciding why a crack has appeared in a building - search InspectApedia.com for FOUNDATION CRACK DIAGNOSIS for some good examples.
On 2016-01-05 by Dee
I have a large split in the drywall (vertical) where two stair sets are joined. stairs are 180 degrees apart. is this a sign of normal settling? or could it be more structural?
On 2015-07-21 - by (mod) -
The handrail extends at least to the nose of the bottom step, and for accessible (handicapped) stairways it needs to extend further horizontally as we discuss at accessible stairs and handrails.
I'm not sure of the details of your installation nor the problems that might arise with "over the curb" extension.
On 2015-07-21 by Ruth
should a stairway with 2 steps have a railing to the edge of bottom step or should it extend out over curb
Question:
(May 22, 2014) Chris said:
Good evening,
What is the minimum tread depth with?
Thank you.
Reply:
Chris,
Please see STAIR TREAD DIMENSIONS
where we give full details
Question: Cable System Stairway and baluster railing
(July 23, 2014) Terrie said:
Hi I would like to install the new Cable System Stairway and baluster railing and I would like to know is it a safety hazard to have 5 wires that a toddler could possible step on to? Please advise
Reply:
IN my opinion, yes.
at CONTINUE READING - the links above - in the article series beginning at
you'll see photos of youngsters climbing horizontal cables in a public guardrailing. The climbing temptation is great.
Question: variation in riser height
(Sept 20, 2014) Anonymous said:
can first step riser very in heigth to second riser off concrete slab
Reply:
Not by much. See the details at STAIR RISER SPECIFICATIONS
...
Continue reading at STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS - INSPECTIONS, CODES or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
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Suggested citation for this web page
CHECKLIST for STAIR INSPECTIONS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to STAIRS RAILINGS LANDINGS RAMPS
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES. - Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
- Eric Galow, Galow Homes, Lagrangeville, NY. Mr. Galow can be reached by email: ericgalow@gmail.com or by telephone: 914-474-6613. Mr. Galow specializes in residential construction including both new homes and repairs, renovations, and additions.
- [3] Stephenson, Elliott O., THE ELIMINATION OF UNSAFE GUARDRAILS, A PROGRESS REPORT [PDF] Building Standards, March-April 1993
- [4] "Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
- [5] Access Ramp building codes:
- UBC 1003.3.4.3
- BOCA 1016.3
- ADA 4.8.2
- IBC 1010.2
- [6] Access Ramp Standards:
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Public Law 101-336. 7/26/90 is very often cited by other sources for good design of stairs and ramps etc. even where disabled individuals are not the design target.
- ANSI A117.4 Accessible and Usable buildings and Facilities (earlier version was incorporated into the ADA)
- ASTM F 1637, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, (Similar to the above standard
- [9] Falls and Related Injuries: Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, Lawyers & Judges Publishing, (June 2002), ISBN-10: 0913875430 ISBN-13: 978-0913875438
"Falls in the home and public places are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, but are overlooked in most literature. This book is unique in that it is entirely devoted to falls. Of use to primary care physicians, nurses, insurance adjusters, architects, writers of building codes, attorneys, or anyone who cares for the elderly, this book will tell you how, why, and when people will likely fall, what most likely will be injured, and how such injuries come about. " - [11] The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST (nee National Bureau of Standards NBS) is a US government agency - see www.nist.gov
- "A Parametric Study of Wall Moisture Contents Using a Revised Variable Indoor Relative Humidity Version of the "Moist" Transient Heat and Moisture Transfer Model [copy on file as/interiors/MOIST_Model_NIST_b95074.pdf ] - ", George Tsongas, Doug Burch, Carolyn Roos, Malcom Cunningham; this paper describes software and the prediction of wall moisture contents. - PDF Document from NIS
- [12] Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers ^ Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com
- [13] Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
- [14] The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -
- [17] Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
- [18] The Staircase, Ann Rinaldi
- [19] Common Sense Stairbuilding and Handrailing, Fred T. Hodgson
- [20] The Art of Staircases, Pilar Chueca
- [21] Building Stairs, by pros for pro, Andy Engel
- [22] A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding, George R. Christina
- [23] Basic Stairbuilding, Scott Schuttner
- [24] The Staircase (two volumes), John Templar, Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992
- [25] The Staircase: History and Theories, John Templar, MIT Press 1995
- [26] Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
- [27] "The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
- [28] Stair & Walkway Standards for Slipperiness or Coefficient of Friction (COF) or Static Coefficient of Friction (SCOF)
- ANSI A1264.2
- ANSI B101
- ASTM D-21, and ASTM D2047
- UL-410 (similar to ASTM D-21)
- NSFI 101-B (National Floor Safety Institute)
- NSFI Walkway Auditing Guideline (WAG) Ref. 101-A& 101-B (may appear as ANSI B101.0) sets rules for measuring walkway slip resist
- OSHA - (Dept of Labor CFR 1910.22 does not specify COF and pertains to workplaces) but recognizes the need for a "qualified person" to evaluate walkway slipperiness
- ADA (relies on the ANSI and ASTM standards)
- [29] A. Sacher, International Symposium on Slip Resistance: The Interface of Man, Footwear, and Walking Surfaces, Journal of Testing and Evaluation (JTE), ISSN: 1945-7553, January 1997 [more focused on slipperiness of polished surfaces
- [30] Algae is widely recognized as a slippery surface - a Google web search for "how slippery is algae on steps" produced more than 15,000 results on 8/29/12)
- [31] Slipperiness of algae on walking surfaces, warning, Royal Horticultural Society, retrieved 8/29/2012, original source: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=418
- [32] Slipperiness of algae: "Watch your step, wet rocks and algae are slippery" Oregon State University warning 1977 retrieved 8/29/2012, original source: http://www.worldcat.org/title/watch-your-step-wet-rocks-and-algae-are-slippery/oclc/663683915
- [33] Coefficient of friction of algae on surfaces [like stair treads]: Delphine Gourdon, Qi Lin, Emin Oroudjev, Helen Hansma, Yuval Golan, Shoshana Arad, and Jacob Israelachvili, "Adhesion and Stable Low Friction Provided by a Subnanometer-Thick Monolayer of a Natural Polysaccharide", Langmuir, 2008 pp 1534-1540, American Chemical Society,
retrieved 8/29/2012,
Abstract: Using a surface forces apparatus, we have investigated the adhesive and lubrication forces of mica surfaces separated by a molecularly thin, subnanometer film of a high-molecular-weight (2.3 MDa) anionic polysaccharide from the algae Porphyridium sp. adsorbed from aqueous solution. The adhesion and friction forces of the confined biopolymer were monitored as a function of time, shearing distance, and driving velocity under a large range of compressive loads (pressures). Although the thickness of the dilute polysaccharide was < 1 nm, the friction was low (coefficient of friction = 0.015), and no wear was ever observed even at a pressure of 110 atm over 3 decades of velocity, so long as the shearing distances were less than twice the contact diameter. Atomic force microscopy in solution shows that the biopolymer is able to adsorb to the mica surface but remains mobile and easily dragged upon shearing. The adhesion (adsorption) of this polysaccharide even to negatively charged surfaces, its stable low friction, its robustness (high-load carrying capacity and good wear protection), and the weak (logarithmic) dependence of the friction force on the sliding velocity make this class of polyelectrolytes excellent candidates for use in water-based lubricant fluids and as potential additives to synovial fluid in joints and other biolubricating fluids. The physical reasons for the remarkable tribological properties of the ultrathin polysaccharide monolayer are discussed and appear to be quite different from those of other polyelectrolytes and proteins that act as thick “polymer brush” layers. - [34] Jinjin Li, Yuhong Liu, Jianbin Luo, Pengxiao Liu, and Chenhui Zhang, "Excellent Lubricating Behavior of Brasenia schreberi Mucilage" Langmuir 2012 28 (20), 7797-7802
- [35] Jason R. Stokes, Lubica Macakova, Agnieszka Chojnicka-Paszun, Cornelis G. de Kruif, and Harmen H. J. de Jongh, "Lubrication, Adsorption, and Rheology of Aqueous Polysaccharide Solutions, Langmuir 2011 27 (7), 3474-3484
- [36] "Coefficients of Friction for Ice", The Physics Factbook™, Glenn Elert, Ed., retrieved 8/29/12, original source: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2004/GennaAbleman.shtml
- [37] "Coefficients of Friction for Ice", The University of the State of New York Reference Tables for Physical Setting/Physics. New York: The State Education Department, 2002. Op. Cit.
- [38] Serway Physics for Scientists and Engineers 4th edition (p. 126.)
- [39] "How Slippery Is It", retrieved 8/29/12, original source http://www.icebike.org/Articles/howslippery.htm
- [40] John E. Hunter, "Friction Values", The Source, Society of Accident Reconstructionists, Winter 1998. Study of frictional values of car tires involved in collisions on snow or ice covered roadways.
- [41] Frictional Coefficients of some Common Materials and Materials Combinations, The Engineering Toolbox, retrieved 8/29/2012, original source: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html [copy on file as Friction and Coefficients of Friction.pdf ]
- [42] Stairways and Ladders, A Guide to OSHA Rules, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, 3124-12R 2003 - Web Search 05/28/2010 original source: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3124.pdf. OSHA regulations govern standards in the construction industry and in the workforce Quoting from OSHA whose focus is on workplace safety and so excludes discussion of falls and stair-falls in private homes:
OSHA estimates that there are 24,882 injuries and as many as 36 fatalities per year due to falls from stairways and ladders used in construction. Nearly half of these injuries are serious enough to require time off the job--11,570 lost workday injuries and 13,312 non-lost workday injuries occur annually due to falls from stairways and ladders used in construction. These data demonstrate that work on and around ladders and stairways is hazardous. More importantly, they show that compliance with OSHA's requirements for the safe use of ladders and stairways could have prevented many of these injuries. -osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/stairlad.html
- [43] International Building Code, Stairway Provisions, Section 1009: Stairways and Handrails, retrieved 8/29/12, original source: http://www.amezz.com/ibc-stairs-code.htm [copy on file as IBC Stairs Code.pdf]
- [44] Model Building Code, Chapter 10, Means of Egress, retrieved 8/29/12, original source: http://www2.iccsafe.org/states/newjersey/NJ_Building/PDFs/NJ_Bldg_Chapter10.pdf, [copy on file as NJ_Bldg_Chapter10.pdf] adopted, for example by New Jersey. International Code Council, 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20001, Tel: 800-786-4452
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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