A trusted Canadian company operating within the railing industry, SK Rails offers commercial and residential clients a variety of railing products. The systems provided by SK Rails are compliant with railing codes and are known for adhering to high safety standards.
Although many people, particularly do-it-yourselfers, disregard building codes when installing a stair handrail, these codes are designed to ensure stair users are as safe as possible. In most US and Canadian municipalities, handrail codes typically focus on three areas: location, graspability, and strength.
In terms of location, building code states that handrails must run up and down along the entire stair incline. To avoid any confusion when walking up or down the stairs, handrails cannot break at any point in their length. Rather, they are continuous lengths of support on at least one side of the stairs. Codes often note that handrails must be free of any obstruction and be between 34 inches and 38 inches in height.
Graspability focuses on how well people of varying ages and abilities can hold onto the handrail should they slip while walking up or down the stairs. For optimal graspability, railings should not project more than four-and-a-half inches away from the wall. This gives the hand plenty of space to hold the railing without the railing limiting walking space. Handrails also must be of a suitable diameter so that young children are capable of grasping the railing.
Finally, the security of a handrail deals with both the strength of the railing material and railing’s mounting. A person should be able to firmly grab the railing in the event of a misstep on the stairs, and the railing should be strong and secure enough to hold the person’s full weight without shifting or breaking.
