Attic pull down stair hazards, basement stair hazards
Stair & railing inspection form
Stair & railing safety hazards, photos of defects
Sketches of stair design requirements
Questions & answers about attic stairs and railings
This article explains how to inspect the condition and safety of attic stairs, folding or pull-down attic stairs and ladders, and attic stairway railings, landings, & treads, and related conditions for safety and proper
construction.
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A stair inspection checklist provided in this document 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.
We've had several reports of severe injury involving collapsing attic stairs, including involving home inspectors as well as occupants. Attic & Basement stair defects can be grouped by the stair type:
Conventional or home-made attic stairways - hazards and defects
Watch for attic stairs that do not meet recommended standards for
Attic Stair Step riser height - often limited space led attic stair builders to construct very steep stairs with very shallow treads, and as in our photo at left, no handrails since the railings were in the way of carrying stuff in and out of the attic.
Step tread depth
Missing railings
Stair top landing guardrails missing - often omitted around the top of an attic stair that emerges into the attic floor - easy for someone to step backwards and fall right into the stairwell.
Worn, damaged stair treads
Basement walkout stair cover rotted or loose - a serious child hazard such as shown in our photo at the top of this page.
Debris, toys, or stored items stored on steps - a serious trip and fall hazard (Photo at left).
Defective & Unsafe Attic Folding Stairs or Pull-Down Attic Stairs
Watch for these common folding attic stair or ladder defects:
Attic pull down stair spring and hinge bent, loose, broken - risk breaking spring or hinge parts striking users pulling down the stairs (See photo at left). Check the pull down stair arm and hinge parts for
Bent stair arm parts
Loose rivets securing the hinged pull-down attic stair ladder to the hinge point on the stair frame (photo at left)
Spring popping off of top of the spring carrier (photo at left)
Spring arm loose, not remaining parallel to its hinge mount (photo at above right)
Attic pull down stair that does not close property - air leaks, heat loss, and risk of mechanical damage may leave a stair like this unsafe. (Photo at left).
Loose or missing bolts or hardware securing the attic folding stair hinges
Loose or missing bolts securing the stair or ladder treads to the attic stair stringers or sides
The hardware used on most attic folding stair kits is not redundant. If a nut or bolt falls out of a hinge because it was not kept tight there is serious risk of stair collapse.
Attic pull-down or folding stairs cut too short, perhaps not reaching the floor, leading to an unsafe and ridiculous "hanging" attic stair (Photo at left)
Attic folding stairs cut too long, causing a pressure point at the folding hinge, leading to split or broken attic folding stair stringers or sides (See photo at the top of this page)
Attic folding stairs installed over an existing building stairway such as to a lower floor, attic folding stairs folding down onto or into the lower stairwell (unsafe to enter or exit)
Attic stair frame not properly secured to the ceiling rough opening
As you can see in our photo, this attic pull down stair frame has been tacked in place using a pair of roofing nails set through a cedar shingle shim.
An ASHI home inspector was seriously hurt when descending a set of attic stairs like these when the stair set came away from the rough opening and fell to the floor below.
Warning labels attached by attic pull-down folding stair manufacturers list the requirements for safe attic folding stair maintenance:
This label is from a stair produced by American Stairways, Inc. and it indicates, among other things:
The stair is for residential use only
Use 16d nails or 1/4" x 3" lag screws (at specified locations) to secure the stair frame to the rough opening (not roofing nails as we showed above, and not drywall screws as we often encounter)
Properly trim the bottom segment of the stairs to meet the floor (details are provided)
The coil springs are under extreme pressure ... inspect for loose parts ... lubricate (details are provided)
Face the stairs when going up or down; use the hand rail for balance only (it is not load bearing)
Do not use the stair if it is damaged in any way
Other warnings and details are provided by the manufacturer on this label and in the installation instructions
Catalog of Common Stair & Railing Specifications, Stair & Rail Defects & Trip Hazards
Because more people are injured by trips and falls than other hazards, experts have looked closely at the specifications for stairs, steps, and rails to reduce the falling hazards. This work has been translated into stair and railing specifications that are similar among codes and countries (but not identical). -- IBC, IRC, BOCA, Kingston NY Stair Code, & other sources. Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop.
Stair and Railing Specification Topics for stair (U.S. and International Residential Codes) include the items listed below.
Following this list we provide sketches and photographs of stair, railing, landing, and construction details and hazards.
Attic stairs are often non-standard, steep, missing railings; attic folding stairs or pull-down stairs have special requirements for securing, fitting, etc.
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Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
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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 ] -
American Stairways, Inc, Memphis TN, 901-795-9200
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
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.
"The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
"Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
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 and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
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 ] -
The following stair books and other books on stair history, design, and architecture can be purchased at our Amazon-Supported InspectAPedia Bookstore
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. "
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; 2 edition (April 2006), ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
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