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This document assists in inspecting the balusters used on indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings. 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. Also see Deck & Porch Railings. 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. © Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. Balusters As our photo shows, a toddler (in this case very carefully held and supervised) can easily fall through open landing balusters or open balusters on a stairway. We often see guards and railings enclosed using horizontal members or mesh or link fencing materials. Because a toddler can easily climb these materials, they are not safe for guard or railing enclosures and should not be used. We also often see decks and porches more than 30" above ground level with no rail whatsoever, perhaps relying on the placement of plants or furniture to discourage people from stepping too close to the edge. Where building code enforcement was absent or lax we found a deck eight feet above ground with no railings at all. A local inspector opined that because the deck was not attached to the house (it abutted the house) it was exempt from building code enforcement. Our opinion was that code exemption did not do much to reduce the falling hazard and that guards and railings should be provided regardless.
Balusters for Guards & Railings
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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS
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01/28/2010 - 01/14/2002 - InspectAPedia.com/interiors/Stair_Balusters.htm - © 2010 - 1988 Copyright Daniel Friedman All Rights Reserved - InspectAPedia® is a Registered U.S. Trademark