Stairs the meet Regulations
Steps and Stairs must be safe
Falls on stairs account for over 60% of slip, trip and fall deaths in buildings. For this reason, there are slip resistance requirements, stair nosing requirements as well as luminance contrast regulations in place for residential, commercial and industrial stair safety by government regulatory boards.
Grip Guard has conducted all the required tests and proud to say we carry products and solutions that meet or exceed all the government requirements for stair safety.
Slip-Resistant Stairs
Our treatments and solutions can make any stair surface compliant with slip resistance requirements
The NCC Performance Requirements DP2 (Volume One) and P2.5.1 (Volume Two) generally state stairways and ramps must be provided with slip-resistant walking surfaces so that people can move safely to and within a building. For slip resistance, DP2 and P2.5.1 are the mandatory requirements within the NCC. The Deemed to Satisfy (DtS) provisions in NCC 2014 requires stairway treads, and landing edges leading to a flight below, to have a suitable slip-resistant surface or a nosing strip with a slip resistance classification not less than that listed in the table below:
| Dry Surface Conditions | Wet Surface Conditions | |
| Tread or landing surface | P3 or R10 | P3 or R10 |
| Nosing or landing edge strip | P3 or R10 | P3 or R10 |
The table details the minimum classification requirements of a wet pendulum test applicable to all new pedestrian surfaces, including stair nosing, within the classification range of P0 to P5. This can be tested in-situ or in a laboratory. The table also details the minimum classification requirements of an oil-wet inclining platform test within the classification range of R9 to R13. This laboratory based test is also applicable to ramps, stairway treads and landings.
Note: For testing slip resistance, it is not necessary to meet both criteria.
With regards to determining the appropriate surface condition (as expected at the time of construction), a wet surface includes a surface that:
- Is exposed to weather, such as an external stairway; or
- On occasions, becomes wet such as in an entry lobby.
Our floor safety professionals can treat any stair surface be it concrete, marble, metal, timber or something else to meet or exceed all slip resistance requirements with little to no change to the appearance of the staircase.
Indoor and outdoor stairs can be treated by our professionals to meet all safety regulations in a short span of time so you don't incur any huge loss of trade or massive disruption to business and maintain its slip resistance for a very long period of time.
Stair Treads and Nosings
Poor visibility of stairs results in people missing one more steps and falling.
We supply and install an extensive range of compliant stair nosings that meet legal requirements, ensuring access systems that accommodate the needs of everyone, including those with vision impairments.
Our stair nosings can complement the aesthetic requirements of a wide variety of architectural styles, with the durability required to accommodate high traffic areas.
The regulations around visibility and slip-resistance of stairs are governed by the Disability Discrimination Act(DDA) 1992, the National Construction Code (NCC) 2016 - Building Code of Australia (BCA) Vol 1 & 2, the SA HB 198:2014 Australian Standards Handbook: Guide to the Specification and Testing of Slip Resistance of Pedestrian Surfaces, AS 1428.1:2009 Design for Access and Mobility and AS 4586:2013 Slip Resistance classification of New Pedestrian Surface Materials.
To achieve general compliance with the AS 1428.1:2009, 11.1 Stair Construction, stairway construction must include the following:
- At the nosing, each tread shall have a strip not less than 50mm and not more that 75mm deep extending across the full width of the path of travel.
- The strip may be set back a maximum of 15mm from the front of the nosing.
- The strip shall have a minimum luminance contrast of 30% to the background.
- Where the luminance contrasting strip is not set back from the front of the nosing then any area of luminance contrast shall not extend down the riser more than 10mm. ie: If the contrasting strip is set back, the maximum length of the downturn is not prescribed.
AS 1428.1-2009 defines luminance contrast as:
“The light reflected from one surface or component, compared to the light reflected from another surface or component.”
Luminance contrast compares the difference in the amount of light reflected (luminous reflectance) from the stair nosing compared to that of its surrounding substrate.
