Inspection Checklist for Stair, Railing, Landing Construction Errors & Safety Hazards InspectAPedia® -
Stair, railing, guardrail, landing, tread, and step specifications & codes
Stair & railing inspection form
Stair & railing safety hazards, photos of defects
Sketches of stair design requirements
Attic pull down stair hazards, basement stair hazards
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This document provides a checklist and data collection form used for inspecting indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings, treads, and related conditions for safety and proper
construction.
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.
Notes to Table of Stair & Railing Defects/Checklist
1st Tread = bottom
Structural conditions to
observe include connections, proper number and type of fastener, spans, condition of materials.
Subtle details such as a
wooden exterior stair tread installed upside down (bark side down) can lead to cupping which can cause algae or ice and
a subsequent slip and trip hazard.
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Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
"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
The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code.
The following stair books and other books on stair history, design, and architecture can be purchased at our Amazon-Supported InspectAPedia Bookstore
Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
The Staircase: History and Theories, John Templar, MIT Press 1995
The Staircase (two volumes), John Templar, Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992.
"The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
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