Spec for front step’s hand rail?

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

I wish to install a hand rail on my front steps. As a search of the net for an applicable BS Standard proved fruitless – BS6180:2011 and BS6399, guard rails and balustrades – seem not to be relevent. My concern is should a visitor fall and the insurance company declares the hand rail not to a suitable spec they may refuse cover – 50 + ago the our born’s babygrow melted while on the fireguard and dripped on the carpet, so no flame meant no fire meant no cover.

 

Jim

[Mark EasingwoodParticipant @markeasingwood33578]

You could try the Building Regs, Parts K & M should have the info in them.

Download or view here.

Mark.

Edit, If you are in England, that is.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

You might be best to enquire of building regulations at your local council. They should include regs for stairs and handrails etc.

Common specs are 900 to 1000 mm railing height on anything beyond the first two steps and often a maximum gap between uprights of 100mm.

But your local council’s regs for outside steps may be different again. As long as your house complies with the council building regs, insurance will be fine.

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

Bear in mind the intended users, if the main users are not so tall then aim at the lower end of the recommended height range. As stated the building regulations are the required standard and may be worth ensuring they are approved if necessary as this should cover you for insurance purposes.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Although it goes against the grain to not DIY what’s probably a simple installation,  it might pay to have this done professionally.   Whilst the installation might be easy, the requirement isn’t.  It’s a safety feature that has to satisfy an insurance company, who will probably be happy if the work was done to local Building Regs, as hopper says.

In addition to them having done this sort of work before and knowing the rules, the advantage of having the job done commercially is that it transfers responsibility to them.   Jimmie, acting as an ordinary member of the public not required to understand technical details of any sort, meets his obligation to protect visitors by having a handrail installed professionally.   In the event they botch the job and someone suffers hideously expensive life-changing injuries, it’s not Jimmies problem.   His insurer might refuse to pay, but that doesn’t mean Jimmie picks up the bill.

Round my home I’m generally prepared to do anything that doesn’t involve safety, legal obligations, or insurance.   It’s because being competent to do the work doesn’t solve the big problem in these cases, which is who pays and takes responsibility if it goes wrong.   If the bill might exceed a few thousands or result in a prosecution, I don’t want to be on the hook for it.

Dave

 

[SillyOldDuffer]

On SillyOldDuffer Said:

Although it goes against the grain to not DIY what’s probably a simple installation,  it might pay to have this done professionally.   Whilst the installation might be easy, the requirement isn’t.  It’s a safety feature that has to satisfy an insurance company, who will probably be happy if the work was done to local Building Regs, as hopper says.

In addition to them having done this sort of work before and knowing the rules, the advantage of having the job done commercially is that it transfers responsibility to them.   Jimmie, acting as an ordinary member of the public not required to understand technical details of any sort, meets his obligation to protect visitors by having a handrail installed professionally.   In the event they botch the job and someone suffers hideously expensive life-changing injuries, it’s not Jimmies problem.   His insurer might refuse to pay, but that doesn’t mean Jimmie picks up the bill.

Round my home I’m generally prepared to do anything that doesn’t involve safety, legal obligations, or insurance.   It’s because being competent to do the work doesn’t solve the big problem in these cases, which is who pays and takes responsibility if it goes wrong.   If the bill might exceed a few thousands or result in a prosecution, I don’t want to be on the hook for it.

Dave

 

In early 2022 I built a steel handrail for my mother to use our outside, and quite steep, cellar steps. I spent some time looking at commercially fitted installations for similar requirements,  and my lightweight construction is cheaper(almost £40, and I still have most of the fixings for other jobs), stiffer, comfortably sized and more securely fitted at a usable height. Well it was, because now Dad’s the user it could do with coming up a bit.

I didn’t get around to building a rail for the 3 front steps, because I couldn’t find any satisfactory way of bracing it without blocking access to the letterbox. My initial research as above showed that many rails for open steps are too weak to be of much actual use.

 

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

This guide may help:

https://www.alvinkeyclamp.co.uk/dda-handrails-a-guide-to-meeting-part-m-of-the-building-regulations

I bought a few bits from Alvinkeyclamp to install a hand rail in our loft opening and was impressed by their value and service.

Rod

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Friend of mine who not that clever with his walking had his installed by the local council you may qualify with your local council

H

[dodmoleParticipant @dodmole]

Selected quote  :- ( ” ”   Round my home I’m generally prepared to do anything that doesn’t involve safety, legal obligations, or insurance. It’s because being competent to do the work doesn’t solve the big problem in these cases, which is who pays and takes responsibility if it goes wrong. If the bill might exceed a few thousands or result in a prosecution, I don’t want to be on the hook for it.

Dave ” ” )

 

Must try that excuse on my significant other.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Seeing how my local council contractors install them Id be better and safer doing it myself

[bernard towers]

On bernard towers Said:

Seeing how my local council contractors install them Id be better and safer doing it myself

That’s what I thought, especially once I learnt the cost and lead time for a couple of hours work.

[Master of noneParticipant @masterofnone]

See the Approved Document Part K (page 915 onwards)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6408a125d3bf7f25fa417ab7/The_Merged_Approved_Documents_Mar23.pdf

 

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

I have some spare 42mm diamiter standard handrail galvanised pipe and fittings. Not needed anymore.

David

[Richard Kirkman 1Participant @richardkirkman1]

I used to work for a balustrade company.

The main standards we used were BS6180 (which you’ve already seen) and BS8300 (section 9.3)

The two combined should be able to provide you with enough information on your handrail design.

If you can’t find a copy of BS8300 online, send me a message.

Richard

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

After the local council had contractors in and the householder was not happy with the work, the council called me in to do the job ! I did a good solid job, everybody was happy. There are plenty of cowboys out there and if the job is not good, I’m not so sure you would be off the hook, the more so if you knew it was a poor job ?

For a good solid job the hard part may be fixing the bases, the rest can be screw together, think Key Clamp Type ! I tired of hiring a tube bender and built my own electro-hydraulic machine to do up to 2 1/4″od tube, this made doing fancy shapes and slopes easy, it would also do 40mm solid !

Whilst Rawlbolts or screws used to be the way, Through bolts or resin anchor with threaded rod is the way today, but remember to get several nozzles for the resin. Never the less, horses for courses?

Good Luck Noel.

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

Many thanks to all the kind folk whose replies are very much appreciated. I will get a few quotes and, if possible, see jobs done by the ‘tradesmen’ to see if they are craftsmen or just crafty folk before I make a decision. Just remembered a friend who needed work done on his car. When ringing around he asked the same question of everyone – ‘are you a mechanic or a technician’? He went for a mechanic.

Jim

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Oh Dear!

A now departed friend and I installed handrails at a local church, alongside a shallow ramp (Not steps)

We used scaffold poles, cut to length and connected by clamps, which are locked with Allen grubscrews.

We chose dimensions, as we saw fit, probably setting the top handrail height at 3′ or 1 metre (So long ago, I can’t remember).

So far no one has fallen, so we seem to have got it fairly near right.

Howard

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