A Design Guide For Home Safety

This report summarizes information and research in the area of stair use and provides design guidelines for improving stair safety. These guidelines are directed toward seven major categories of stairway design and construction: (1) structural integrity and quality of stairs, (2) physical attributes of stair surfaces, (3) appearance of stair surfaces, (4) handrails, (5) physical attributes of the surrounding stairway environment, (6) appearance of the surrounding stairway environment, and (7) signs and symbols. In general, the recommendations offered in this report derive from the premise that stairway accidents are caused by human perceptual errors, which are frequently triggered by some flaw in the design or construction of stairways themselves. Evidence describing the severity and frequency of residential stairway hazards, and supporting premises underlying design guidelines were obtained from epidemiological, experimental, exploratory, and survey research sources. General directions for future investigation are suggested.