Stair slip trip & fall hazards guide:

Stair tread & step construction or maintenance mistakes can create a wide range of serious stair fall hazards.

Using illustrations from around the world, we illustrate many common causes of stair falls and injuries such as uneven or damaged steps and stairs, missing or unsafe railings, loose, crooked treads, or lack of visual cues that tell a walker that she is approaching a step.

In this article we include the classic mistake: a loose throw rug at the top of a stairway. Page top photo: severely damaged stair treads, rotted stair stringers and treads, rotted loose newel post and an open sided stairway to the basement of this home lake these stairs treacherous.

Photographs & Sketches of Serious Stair Step Defects, Trip Slip & Fall Hazards

These questions & answers about the causes of falls on stairs were posted originally at SLIP TRIP & FALL HAZARD LIST, STAIRS, FLOORS, WALKS - be sure to see that catalog of stair catastrophes.

On 2018-09-27 by (mod) - minimum stair width in the building code for safety reasons?

Anon

Stair width is given at STAIR DIMENSIONS, WIDTH, HEIGHT

IMO the minimum width is to permit safe passage for a variety people of various sizes and abilities.

There are of course practical width requirements as well, such as the requirements for moving furnishings in and out of an upper floor space.

On 2018-09-27 by Anonymous

Is there a minimum stair width in the building code for safety reasons? What is the safety reason? Thank you.

On 2018-07-01 by (mod) - What type of craftsman do you contract with to have a new stair built

A carpenter or builder familiar with stair construction.

In some cities there are also companies who specialize in custom stair building.

On 2018-06-30 by Our new home

We just purchased an 18 yr. old home with narrow stair trends which scare me. What type of craftsman do you contract with to have a new stair built to correct this problem?

On 2018-02-13 by (mod) -

Sorry anon I don't understand your question.

On 2018-02-13 by Anonymous

can colleges be used for inside wet steps at the fault of cleaning person

On 2018-02-03 by (mod) -

Shirley

If you can, use the Add Image button next to the Comment button to show us the situation. Repair should be quite do-able but we need to understand the problem first.

On 2018-02-03 by Shirley jackson

My stairs were installed by the Carpenter and on the tread front is a protruding piece of trim that's causing a tripping and everyone who walks down the stairs or up the stairs is stripped by this any help on how we could fix it

On 2018-01-17 by (mod) - requirements in regard to the safety of a mobile home in Texas?

Cliff

Federal standards such as from HUD as well as typical state codes require safe steps and rails at any occupied building.

The responsibility of the tenant vs. landlord is usually spelled out in the lease. I would expect a landlord to provide components that are part of the building (like steps and rails) and to assure they are safe, comply with code, and are maintained. But I can't speak for your particular lease.

Same for ADA requirements.

The TEXAS ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS (TAS) https://www.license.state.tx.us/ab/tas/tasappendix.pdf provider "advisory" information for Texas buildings in meeting ADA - including ramps. TX may exclude older or existing buildings from these requirements.

In my OPINION your first concern is for personal safety, regardless of "who pays". That is to say, *delays* while arguing about who is going to pay for meeting basic safety recommendations (like smoke detectors, CO detectors, safe steps and rails) have to be balanced against immediate safety hazards.

On 2018-01-17 y cliff carpenter

Are there requirements in regard to the safety of a mobile home in Texas? The home is not within any city limits. Also, is a person who rents a mobile home responsible to provide safe steps or ramps to a rented mobile home if the renter is disabled or becomes disabled? ADA?

On 2017-11-13 by (mod) -

Thank you for the comment, Help. Indeed there is an added level of hazard as well as complexity when step design invites people to step in awkward ways.

If you have an opportunity to send me some sharp photos of the stairs in question I'd sure like to see and comment on that design.


Jane:
Carpeting on stairs can be

- a safety improvement if carpeting adds traction to an otherwise slippery stair surface

- a safety hazard if carpeting is thick and soft and perhaps extends the stair tread nose in a soft, unstable walking surface.

Similarly, plastic runners designed to add stair safety might improve traction but might also be installed in a manner such as loose or curved tread noses that creates a trip hazard.

Plastic runners over carpet? It depends on the carpet and the installation as I've suggested.

On 2017-11-13 by Helping2Improve - "Irregular size steps causing one foot pointing straight forward with the other foot forced to be placed sideway.

Please add clearly and tell everyone "Irregular size steps causing one foot pointing straight forward with the other foot forced to be placed sideway.
This means the whole body weight is then on the twisted knee!!"

I just had a meniscus tear and/or possibly a ligament tear (awaiting medical confirmation).
I didn't fall, but could not walk. Cannot put weight on that leg.
Unexpectedly it hurt a lot and continues to hurt. I'm now on crutches, hopefully very temporarily.

Was at first puzzled how a sudden sharp pain and injury could happen from just walking slowly and carefully down steps with handrails on a path of a botanical garden.

On 2017-06-19 18:03:45.719871 by Jane

Do plastic runners with grooves ,to protect carpet .,pose a hazard on stairs Is carpet safer?

On 2017-04-04 by (mod) - uneven step rise caused trip?

Yes, Janet, if the height change is more than a fraction of an inch the step is a trip/fall hazard.

On 2017-04-04 by Janet Ann Zolla

Was going up and down a step for approximately 3 hours while bowling. After completing 3 games was leaving area from landing and had to climb another stair which was higher than the step I had been climbing continuously. Would this change in height be likely to make you trip?

Question: Someone fell down the stairs when the rail bracket came out of the wall. Is the landlord responsible?

There is a lease provision requiring out of possession land-lord to do structural repairs. Several years before an accident a new stairway was constructed in a building between the main level and basement level. including required handrail.

While using the steps, someone fell the 12 stairs when the bracket holding the upper left handrail came out of the wall. Was the landlord responsible for this failure; i.e. is a hand-rail part of land-lords requirement to make structural repairs, keeping in mind that the landlord paid for and hired the contractor to install the hand-rail. - R.S. 8/2/12

Reply:

A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem with stairs, railings, and other conditions that can cause or contribute to a fall - not something I can assess by a brief email text message. That said, here are some things to consider:

• the affixing of responsibility for steps, rails, maintenance, and installation details is a legal question for the attorneys and code officials in your city and on the case
• in my OPINION in general a property owner is expected to provide safe steps and railings. That responsibility may or may not be spelled out in your property lease under the legal definitions of safe or habitable - questions for an attorney
• around stair fall cases there is often considerable argument about who was responsible for what, including an argument about use of the word "structural"

In my OPINION stairs form an integral and critical part of a structure as obviously one cannot access certain areas without them.

But beware that a strict engineering definition of "structure" pertains to supporting elements of a building, not its stairs (except for their own structural support - which can be adequate while stairs and rails may still be unsafe and improper).

So the use of the term structural is one that, when spoken or written without care, can cause trouble for everybody. For example, in a proper or engineering sense, a handrailing is not a structural component of a building. It is not holding the building up. To be perfectly clear, a handrailing is part (a component) of the structure, but it is not structural.

Question: stair by elevator

(Feb 3, 2013) Randy Knudson said:

I need some help finding Building codes or other standards which address the obvious hazard of having an elevator door opening, directly adjacent on the left hand side to an open stairwell. There is seven inches from the door opening to the first step. This is a public building.

Reply:

Randy

Because the number of creative building construction details that builders and designers can devise is essentially infinite, I'm doubtful that one can find an explicit code prohibition for each of them, including the case you cite.

Nor is the hazard as obvious to me as to you. When closed the elevator door is essentially the same barrier as a wall. When the elevator door is open its walking surface extends first into the hallway in the direction of travel - across the width of the hall. A walker then has to make a turn to their left to enter the stairwell. Why is this different from turning to the left when walking down a corridor to enter a stair?

However, when you ask your local building code compliance inspector to take a look at the situation you describe, if she agrees that it's hazardous that person's opinion has force of law. She (or he) may cite a more general code provision as supporting that view, but as you may know, it's the local building official whose judgment, on-site, that's the final authority.

Question: obstructions and/or retail displays positioned at the top of short-flight stairs

(June 24, 2015) Maryland said:

What section would discuss short-flight stairs in shopping malls?
What section would discuss obstructions and/or retail displays positioned at the top of short-flight stairs in shopping malls?

Reply:

Maryland

I don't find portable obstructions that may be a slip trip fall hazard at stairs something discussed in the stair codes themselves but that's certainly an important topic in stair safety.

There are requirements to keep obstructions off of the stairway itself, for example in fire stairs and emergency exit stairways.

Short stair flights must be built to the same rise, run, specs as longer runs of stairs and can present similar trip hazards. The requirement for handrailings on short stairs varies by jurisdiction and is discussed in our Handrails section - see the ARTICLE INDEX given at the end of this page. .

Research on short flight stairs, stairway obstructions, retail spaces

• Kaufmann, Michael. "Reducing Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents on Walkways and Stairs." In ASSE Professional Development Conference. American Society of Safety Engineers, 2007.
• Marietta, William. "Trip, slip and fall prevention." The Work Environment. Occupational Health Fundamentals. Lewis Publishers, inc. Michigan (1991): 241-276.
• Natalizia, David M. "Avoiding 12 Common Mistakes In Slip, Trip, And Fall Prevention." In ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exhibition. American Society of Safety Engineers, 2009.
  Roys, Mike. "Steps and stairs." Understanding and Preventing Falls: An Ergonomics Approach (2005): 42.

...

Continue reading at SLIP TRIP & FALL HAZARD LIST, STAIRS, FLOORS, WALKS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Stair Fall Hazard Articles

• ACCESSIBLE DESIGN
• ADA STAIR & RAIL SPECIFICATIONS
• COLOR / LIGHTING CUES AVOID TRIP HAZARDS
• GRABRAIL GRAB BAR SPECIFICATIONS
• HANDRAILS & HANDRAILINGS
• HALTING WALK STAIR DESIGNS for LOW SLOPES or SHORT STEP RISE
• SLIP TRIP & FALL HAZARD LIST, STAIRS, FLOORS, WALKS
• SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS, EXTERIOR STAIRS
• SLIPPERY STAIRS, WALKS, ROOFS
• SNAG HAZARDS on STAIRWAYS
• SNOW & ICE REMOVAL on WALKS & STAIRS
• TILED WALKING SURFACE SLIP HAZARDS
• STAIR CODES & STANDARDS - home
• STAIR CODE DETAILS
• STAIR CONSTRUCTION IDEAL DIMENSIONS
• STAIR DESIGN for SENIORS
• STAIRWAY CHAIR LIFTS
• STAIR DESIGNS for UNEVEN / SLOPED SURFACES
• STAIR DIMENSIONS, WIDTH, HEIGHT
• STAIR PLATFORMS & LANDINGS, ENTRY
• STAIR RAILS, STAIR GUARDS
• STAIR TREAD NOSE SPECIFICATIONS
• STAIR USER FOOT & HAND PLACEMENT
• STAIRWAY CHAIR LIFTS

Suggested citation for this web page

SLIP TRIP & FALL HAZARD LIST, STAIRS FAQs 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.

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