Stair safety is crucial when you have pedestrians using the stairs on a regular basis. Stairs can becoming slippery when wet and damaged when there is a lot of foot traffic. One way to help prevent slipping and injury is by adding stair nosing to the ends of your stairs. This helps to not only lengthen the life of the stairs but also helps to provide an element of safety to the step. It can help to prevent injuries and make ease of using the steps. But what is stair nosing? What is the purpose of stair nosing? Read on to find out more.
What is stair nosing?
Stair nosing is the protruding edge of the stair. If you look at a staircase, you will see the right-angle edge of each of the stairs where it drops down for the next stair to start. This part of the step is a high traffic section where most people will place their first foot when going up or down a set of stairs.
The need for making this part of the step safer means installing non-slip stair nosing to the edges. These can be made from a range of different materials and come in different sizes and colours.
What is the need for non-slip stair nosing?
The reason behind the addition of the non-slip stair nosing is to reduce the risk of injury and falls. Stairs can become slippery when wet and this can cause people to fall if they are using the stairs in a hurry.
By adding the non-slip stair nosing to the stairs, it can make the area less slippery and provide an added level of grip. This means that there is a reduced risk of injury.
What do they look like?
There are different options available when you are adding non-slip nosing to your stairs. You can get them in different colours and made from different materials.
Depending on whether you are installing on indoor or outdoor stairs, will depend on the best option for you. You can get them in aluminium, fibreglass and PVC with different colours available.
There is generally a non-slip padding on the top of the tread to allow for grip and to reduce the risk of slips. At Floorsafe Australia, we have a large range of stair nosing treads available.
Do I have to install them?
It is important that you adhere to the different regulations set out by the Building Industry Code when completing a new build or doing renovations to an existing property.
According to industry standards set out by the Building Code of Australia, non-slip and non-skid surfaces must be installed on all areas where there is pedestrian access. This can include rampsrian ramps, stairs, and landings. It is particularly important in areas that receive heavy foot traffic or where emergency access may be required.
Slip resistant tread stair nosings are also critical for meeting disability standards for safe access to premises for the visually impaired or disabled.
If you do not comply with the standards, you are at risk of receiving a large fine and may have to close your premise until the appropriate safety measures are taken.
Safety is a priority at all times. It is important that businesses take the time to ensure that they are complying with safety standards and make the necessary changes if needed. At Floorsafe Australia, we are here to help you to get all your floor safety needs sorted. With a range of products to assist in safety for pedestrians and those with disabilities.
For more information, to place an order or if you have an enquiry, get in touch with the team at Floorsafe Australia today.