Walking on stairs is sometimes a dangerous chore. If the stairs are wet or slippery, if you are holding something in your hands or if the area is dark, the stairs can certainly be a safety hazard for you. Almost all staircases in Florida are required to have handrails. Those handrails can help you to stay safe if they are installed properly and meet the state building codes. If there aren’t handrails that are up to current codes, you might be injured if you have an accident on the staircase.
What aspects of handrails and installation do building codes cover?
Building codes cover the location of the handrails, the height of the handrails, the graspability of handrails and a host of other aspects of handrails. The building codes have a standard set of codes, but also have other codes to cover situations that might not fall within the scope of normal building codes.
What are some points I should know about handrails on staircases?
Handrails all have to be graspable. They can be circular or non-circular, but must meet specific measurements. In most cases, handrails must be 34 to 38 inches in height. Handrails must be continuous without being interrupted by newell posts unless the handrail is in specific types of dwellings. In those dwellings, the newell posts must be located at specific points if they are used.
If you fall on stairs, you might suffer injuries. If the stairs were on another person’s property, you might opt to seek compensation. You can do this through the civil court system. Knowledge of personal injury laws and building codes is vital in these cases.
Source: Rock Woodworks, “Florida Building Code 2004,” accessed Dec. 07, 2015
