Watch the video on Stairway Safety.
Headlines like "Painter Falls Down Stairwell: OSHA Violations Cited - Wrongful Death Suit Filed" are more common than many builders care to acknowledge. According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), falls are one of the four leading causes of death in construction work today.
Stairways are an especially dangerous area of the job site, because many workers take safety for granted on and around them. A fall from only four feet is enough to cause a serious, debilitating injury, and a fall from over six feet can be fatal. Even though almost all accidents related to falls are preventable, each year thousands of workers are injured falling from stairs and landings, and from falling through stairwells.
Besides putting workers at risk of serious injuries, poor safety practices on stairways and around stairwells can come with a high price tag for the builder. OSHA fines range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars for repeat offenders, and can raise the builder's insurance rates. If an accident does happen, work can stop on the job site during an investigation, and the builder can lose a productive member of the team.
That's why whenever stairs are part of a home's design, it's a best practice to make sure that workers are following stair safety procedures. By being proactive about safety procedures, builders can keep workers safe and keep construction on schedule.
Here are a few standard safety measures to keep in mind when it comes to stairways:
- During construction, any landing that's 6 feet or more above the surrounding area must have standard 42-inch guardrails installed around the landing to prevent falls.
- Wherever a door or gate opens directly onto a stairway, extend the floor space at least 20 inches beyond the swing of the door; this will help give workers a solid footing before they use the stairs.
- Any stairway that's taller than 30 inches (or has more than 4 steps) must have at least one handrail as well as OSHA-approved rails along each unprotected side or edge.
- The side rails should be between 36 and 37 inches high, and spaced be at least 11-1/2 inches apart. Each rail should be built to withstand at least 200 pounds of resistance.
- Temporary handrails must have at least 3 inches of clearance between the rails and any nearby walls; this will ensure that workers can firmly grasp the rails while using the steps. Temporary handrails must be independent of the home's structure.
When dealing with required safety regulations, it's crucial for builders to become very familiar with OSHA requirements, and keep up to date with safety training and changes in the safety standards. To learn more about OHSA Fall Prevention Safety, check out the OSHA website's fall protection standards.
Although some builders may complain that the time and materials used to install temporary safeguards are a waste of money, the actual cost of a fall can be substantial. In 2004 a California painter died after falling from an unfinished and unprotected stairwell, leaving behind a wife and infant son. The widow filed a wrongful death suit against the builder who had previously been cited by OSHA for safety violations, and the case was settled for $2 million.
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