Warehouse & Storage FAQs | Stairs

What safety measures should be in place for stairs in warehouses?

Warehouse stairs should have non-slip treads, secure handrails, and proper lighting. They should also meet safety standards for step height, going and width, and be free of obstructions. Tadweld’s extensive design and fabrication expertise means you can be assured of full compliance and alignment with the latest standards and regulations.

BS EN ISO 14122-3:2016 Stairs, stepladders and guard rails.

This is part of the BS EN ISO 14122 “Safety of Machinery – Permanent Means of Access” range of standards and is harmonised as part of the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

The key requirements of the standard regarding protection against falls from working at height and protection against materials falling from height are:

• Stairs, step ladders and guardrails — including fittings, hinges, anchorage points, supports and mountings — shall be designed and constructed and the materials selected so that they withstand the foreseeable conditions of use.

• Guardrails shall be designed and constructed to prevent objects from falling.

• Opening or closing of moving parts (gates), of adjustable parts (e.g. foldable, slidable) and of movable parts shall not cause further hazards (for example by shearing or by falling) to users and other persons in the vicinity.

• The dimensions for the going and rise of stairs must fall between stated requirements to prevent falls.

• The uppermost step of a flight of stairs must be level with the landing.

• A guardrail must be installed if the height of a possible fall exceeds 500mm.

• A guardrail must be installed if the gap between a platform and the structure of a machine or wall is greater than 180 mm or if the protection of the structure is not equivalent to a guardrail.

• The minimum height of any guardrail must be 1100mm. If a handrail is fitted, the height of the handrail must be ≤1100mm. The handrail must also be parallel to the walking line.

• The guardrail must include at least one intermediate knee rail or any other equivalent protection. 

• The clear space between the handrail and the knee rail, as well as between the knee rail and the toe plate, must not exceed 500mm.

• When vertical uprights are used instead of a knee rail, the clear horizontal distance between those uprights must be 1800mm maximum.

• A toe-plate with a minimum upstand of 100mm must be placed 12mm maximum from the walking level and the edge of the platform, as well as stair landings.

• If there is a gap between the toe plates of adjacent guard rail segments, this gap must be not more than 20mm.

Find our full series of warehouse and storage safe access FAQs here.