| Office Stairway
Tips
1. If you have more than 20 people using one stairway each day, you
better make sure that they're safe to use. Each stair tread should
provide users with plenty of traction and should have a non-slip
surface.
2. Does the stairway have a gripable handrailing that meets local
building codes? The office staircase should have a handrailing that you
could hold onto, while walking up the entire stairway.
3. Is this stairway comfortable? Sometimes the stair steps or risers are
inconsistent and create trip hazards.
4. Are there any large windows around the stairway that don't have any
safety or tempered glass? Most building codes require windows around
stairwells and within 5 feet of the top and bottom of the stairway, to
have tempered glass.
5. Are they clean? I wouldn't have brought this up, but a few years ago
I was walking through a building that had an office stairway that looked
like it hadn't been cleaned in 50 years. Someone told me that the
stairway was dirty, because the previous occupants worked with used
automotive parts.
It wasn't just that this stairway was dirty, it was actually one of the
worst safety hazards I ever ran across. The workers would often track
grease, grime and even oil throughout the building, including the stair
steps.
I only had to walk up and down the stairway once, to realize that it
wasn't going to be long, before someone slipped and injured themselves.
To make matters even worse, it was the only stairway in the building.
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