- Author
-
NAHB Research Center
- Title
- Stair Safety: A Review of the Literature and Data Concerning Stair Geometry and Other Characteristics.
- Coporate
- NAHB Research Center, Upper Marlboro, MD
- Sponsor
- Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
- Report
-
Instrument No. DU100K00005897,
November 30, 1992,
95 p.
- Keywords
-
stairways
|
safety
|
literature reviews
|
geometry
|
residential buildings
- Abstract
- For the first time in any U.S. model building code, the 1992 edition of the BOCA National Building code requires residential stairs to have risers no greater than 7 inches and treads no less than 11 inches. Before 1992, the BOCA code specified 8 1/4-inch maximum riser heights and 0-inch minimum tread depths. This 7-11 geometry, as it is known, has the potential to influence housing costs significantly, particularly the cost of entry-level affordable housing. The primary objective of this report is to assess the state of knowledge with regard to the role of riser and tread dimensions in accidental falls on residential stairways. A more specific purpose is to examine existing sources of data and research and to determine what they indicate about the safety performance of various stair geometries. The study, therefore, involved an examination of statistical data and a literature review. A secondary objective of the report is to identify other features or characteristics of stairs that potentially play a role in stair safety. Thus, the study also included a review of literature to identify other stair features or characteristics possibly related to stair safety. Section 2 of this report discusses stair geometry in general. Section 3 discusses the major sources of statisticsl information and reviews the research contained in the existing literature. Sections 4 and 5 present conclusions and recommendations. A brief description of other potential safety features of stairs is contained in Appendix A. For the readers convenience, two indices have been provided at the end of this work. The first is an index of the titles of all articles reviewed. The second is an index of authors' surnames, organizational names, acronyms, periodical names, and other terms frequently used in citations to the literature. The Research Center's evaluation of five key studies was subjected to an external review. The reviewer's comments are included as the final appendix to this document. Some of the results of that review have been integrated into this report, but the reviewer's comments should be consulted directly for additional information.