Stair Handrails

[Olly]

A friend of my sisters recently moved into the upstairs part of their house with her partner. The downstairs was rented out. There were still some minor things to finish off - one of them being a handrail up the internal staircase and it was a staircase with a turn in it.

Friend and partner were walking up the stairs and at the turn where the stairs form a bit of a triangle she lost her footing and started to stumble. He was in front and she was behind. He turned to grab her, but with neither of them having anything to grab to steady themselves they both fell down the stairs. He fell on top of her and smashed every bone in her face except her jawbone and she's had to have some major surgery and time in hospital.

Only 6 stairs!!!!

Makes you think doesn't it.

Cheers
Olly

 

[superted]

A friend of my sisters recently moved into the upstairs part of their house with her partner. The downstairs was rented out. There were still some minor things to finish off - one of them being a handrail up the internal staircase and it was a staircase with a turn in it.

Friend and partner were walking up the stairs and at the turn where the stairs form a bit of a triangle she lost her footing and started to stumble. He was in front and she was behind. He turned to grab her, but with neither of them having anything to grab to steady themselves they both fell down the stairs. He fell on top of her and smashed every bone in her face except her jawbone and she's had to have some major surgery and time in hospital.

Only 6 stairs!!!!

Makes you think doesn't it.

Cheers
Olly

I am thinking he shouldnt have offered assistance ;-)

 

[fixit]

I'm thinking that maybe they shouldn't have been occupying the premises without a C of O. A Certificate of Occupancy shouldn't have been issued unless the staircase and handrail were finished.

In the case of a reno, they probably shouldn't have rented out part of an unfinished reno. Wonder what their insurers would say, especially if it had been one (or two)of the tenants who fell?

Just a thought.
regards
Ron

 

[Olly]

I'm thinking that maybe they shouldn't have been occupying the premises without a C of O. A Certificate of Occupancy shouldn't have been issued unless the staircase and handrail were finished.

As I understand it it was OK to occupy. I think they lived downstairs while the upstairs got done, then moved in upstairs and rented out the bottom.

My sister has just had a house built and has some minor finishing off touches to finish but handrail is not on the list. She does however, have the same stairs configuration as her friend so put one up last weekend.

Cheers
Olly

 

[marc1]

I realy feel for this people, an unfortunate accident in deed. Something no one is excempted from, building or no building.

As for the council's certificate of occupancy, it is not worth the paper it is written on, in my experience anyway.
I just had a two story 200m2 extension "inspected" to have my certificate. I had done absolutley every single detail necessary expecting someone with a fine comb going over the lot.

Well, to my dissapointment, the guy hardly looked at the place I worked so hard for the last 3 years and issued a certificate on the spot. For what it was worth, I could have had not only no handrail, no doors and windows. or no roof. In fact I did have a defect, my spiral stairs' handrail had the balisters too far apart and I had posponed installing two extra balister between the existing one for so long that I totaly forgot about it. A rope I tied along the stairs under the handrail, for the kids to hold on was the X marking the spot, but not even that was noted.

 

[fixit]

Marc1.
Being in the building maintenance game, I have seen this on numerous occassions, and I agree with you completely, however, if you don't have the piece of paper......

Olly, I hope your sister's friend is recovering well. It's not something anyone likes to hear about.

 

[bubbleroo]

My experience :-

Stay at a nice holiday villa with those shocking circular stairs (those same as olly's friend). Was playing upstair with my friend's son & he ran off for the stairs, he stepped on the small side of the steps and naturally slipped & stumble down....no, rolling down, landed at the bottom of the stair with just a bruise on his forehead.

From this experience when another friend bought a house with these stairs I recommended he removes it & I was glad he listened. I would never have those stairs in my house, too scary ! Can't understand why it was built in such way in the first place.

 

[Lplate]

Stairs that turn around a tight point are often dangerous. Keep stairs straight and uniform and use landings to 'turn' corners..

We have a stained timber staircase which has two landings but it was designed to have three, however the builder saved a few dollars for himself and cut out one landing. This meant turning a set of three stairs around a centre post. By doing this he created treads that are wedge shaped. It is awkward and entirely unexpected.

Yep, nearly broke my neck descending the stairs - easy to miss the edge of the treads.

Fair dinkum, on a set of stairs of matched solid timber that cost $$$, this builder was a right sod to cut corners and clip a few extra bucks profit out of the home owner (- and thereby creating a permanent dangerous situation).

There is no remedy and it would be a complete waste of time going to the Building Tribunal.