By Jake Pauls, BArch, CPE, HonDSc
The following four components of a one-minute, stairway flight inspection will identify the most critically important usability and safety issues associated with stairways, especially in dwelling units—the site of most stair-related injuries. For more detail on what to look for—and act on—beyond this simple inspection, see the Stairway Checklist, based on the same three basic safety criteria:
Stair step nosing visibility
Uniformity of step geometry
Provision of functional handrail(s)
00 to 05 seconds: Looking down the flight, can you clearly perceive
all of the step nosings including the landing nosing?
YES or NO
05 to 15 seconds: Crouching down on the upper landing with your
eye height positioned so the flight’s nosing line up
visually, do they all line up correctly so that no
nosing or nosings are out of visual alignment?
YES or NO
15 to 50 seconds: Using a measuring stick or tape (even a long enough
piece of cardboard that you can mark), measure the
three diagonal distances between the same points on each
of the top four nosings (including the landing nosing).
Are all of the diagonal distances the same—to within 3/8 inch
(9 mm or the thickness of a standard pencil)?
YES or NO
50 to 60 seconds: Using your bare hand, grasp the handrail with your thumb
and fingers encircling the railing as much as possible.
Is there a functional railing present that you can rotate your
hand around—approaching the railing from the top as
well as the side—that you can grasp easily and securely with
a power grip—pulling on the railing, both side to side and
parallel to its length—that is both secure (for grasp) and easily
reached as you stand at the upper stair landing?
YES or NO
For this one-minute stairway flight inspection, was there a NO answer to one or more
of the four questions (or sub-tests). If so, the stairway is not reasonably safe for use.
Correction(s) of its defects will cost less than even a single injurious fall that could be
triggered and/or exacerbated by one or more of these factors of visibility, step geometry
and handrail provision.
One-minute Stairway Flight Inspection