How to Make your Stairs Safer at Home

Guest Blogger #473, Entry #1099, April 17, 2012

Whilst having a staircase in your home is extremely practical, not to mention essential in most cases, it can also be a potentially dangerous place, especially for children and seniors. It is therefore extremely important to ensure that your stairs are as safe as possible for anyone who will be using them.

Tips for ensuring safety at your stairwells

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A well designed staircase…

When a staircase has been well designed, it is obvious, because there is always enough headroom to ensure that no one will be at risk of bumping their head on the way up or the way down. They are also wide enough so that the majority of people can use them in comfort, without feeling a sense of confinement when too narrow, or feeling unsteady if the staircase is too wide.  It is generally the case that they are at least 90cm wide and this is after balustrades have been added.

Designing your own stairs…

If you are lucky enough to be able to design your own home, or able to refit your stair banisters then you can take all of the above into account and ensure that your stairs are as safe as possible. However, many of us will not get the chance to design our very own staircase, so we have to be content with making minor adaptations which will help to improve stair safety. Of the utmost importance is, of course having something to hold on to as you ascend or descend the stairs, so there must be a handrail of sorts. These are also vital as they help prevent people from falling off or down stairs. In addition to ensuring you have this, it is also a good idea to check the material that covers your stairs.

For instance, if your staircase is wooden, it can be especially hard to grip onto and knowing how children rush and run about, a wooden staircase can quickly become a hazard. Likewise with the elderly, who may not be as steady on their feet as they used to be; they may easily slip on such a surface. Therefore, it is a good idea to use non-slip grips on the edges of each stair ledge.

Alternatively, you could always choose to cover your stairs in carpet, which guarantees the stairs will be a lot safer, not to mention more comfortable should someone fall on them. It is also a good idea to make sure that the lighting in and around your staircase is well lit, as dim lighting can make it easy for anyone at all to have an accident.

Ensure your stairs are safe in your home

Image via: Tracy Adams.Pinterest

Safety first…

For added safety if you have children, you can also add safety gates at the top and bottom of the staircase and a child height guardrail which fits the entire length of the stairs [underneath the banisters]. It is crucial that you take on these points if you currently feel that your stairs are not as safe as they could be, after all safety is definitely not something we should ever take for granted.

James Wittering is a Worcester SEO guy who also writes for Seagull Balustrades. When he isn’t blogging he’s either  playing his ukulele or trying to surf and keep up with his two sons.

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