Hi Nick,
There have been lots of thoughts on this. My understanding is that shallow risers will usually mean more steps. More steps will mean more effort to get up them and this will be an issue for many people. It is helpful when shallow risers are used that this is combined with a longer going, enabling people to rest on the flight for a while. You do mention that space is not an issue.
Visually impaired people will usually anticipate steps of 150-170mm and so may be caught unawares of the change and miss-judge their stride. There is never a case for uneven risers for this reason.
At a recent step-trial we conducted for a recent LA project a minimum riser of 150mm was found to suit most people including people using assistance dogs.
Hope this is helpful.
Sue Pellegrino
Access Consultant
The Access Collaboration Ltd
44 King Street
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 2AJ
t- 01227 781451 Tel & Voice-mail
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-----Original Message-----
From: Accessibuilt list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nick Metcalfe
Sent: 26 June 2009 15:20
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Rise of Steps
Hi,
Thanks for your reply, sorry I think enquiry needs re-asking
Well my situation is this, I have a plan of a proposed flight of steps
(outside) and space is not really an issue, however the designers are
proposing that the step risers are going to be 125mm (below what is
recommended in part M etc) so I was trying to find out what it was about
lower steps (<150mm) that is hazardous, to justify asking for the steps
to be raised to the commonly found figure of 150mm.
Thanks
Nick Metcalfe - Planning Technician (Implementation)
Wigan Council
Environmental Services Department
Civic Buildings
New Market Street
Wigan
WN1 1RP
Tel: 01942 404375 (Internal ext 4375)
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
www.wigan.gov.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: Accessibuilt list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Antoinette Fennell
Sent: 26 June 2009 15:10
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Rise of Steps
Hi Nick,
I'm a little unsure of what exactly you want explained (are you
wondering why 150-170mm is recommended, or are you wondering why a
particular range is recommended in the first place), so apologies if my
reply is very simplistic.
Firstly, it may have been a typo but the recommended rise of external
and internal steps is within the range of 150mm-170mm. Not 150mm OR
170mm, as your query suggested.
Many people experience difficulty walking up and down stairs. With
regard to the rise of a step, the height to which a person has to raise
(or lower) their leg when going up (or down) will make a difference to
how easy/comfortable it is to use the stairs. As the rise gets higher,
the strength required to use the stairs will also get higher. If you
ever do the Inca Trail you'll understand what I'm talking about.
At the same time if the rise is too low, the staircase will take up too
much space within the building - and so a compromise has to be made.
A rise range should therefore be chosen to maximise ease of use, while
also making best use of the space in a building.
Now, how they came to the figure of 150-170mm specifically - I'm unsure.
In a perfect world, research would have been conducted with a large
sample of people, including people with a range of ages (from children
to older people), sizes (range of heights and weights), and physical
abilities/disabilities. From this research, an optimum range would be
calculated, so that the maximum number of people is accommodated.
Whether or not this sort of research was conducted for the 150-170mm
conclusion, I'm not sure - perhaps someone else on this mailing list can
answer that.
Finally, BS8300: 2009 states:
"Excessively high risers can result in excessive strain being placed on
the knee and/or hip joints of ambulant disabled people, when descending
flights of stairs.
When ascending a stair, people who wear callipers or who have stiffness
in hip or knee joints are particularly at risk of trapping the toes of
their shoes beneath projecting nosings, and of tripping as a result. In
addition, some partially sighted people can feel a sense of insecurity
when looking through open treads, and assistance dogs might refuse to
proceed.
The preferred dimensional ranges for steps and stairs are between 150 mm
and 180 mm for the rise and between 300 mm and 450 mm for the going."
If I interpreted your query incorrectly, just let me know.
All the best,
Antoinette
_________________
Dr Antoinette Fennell
Research Fellow - Project Scientist - Universal Design
TrinityHaus
McNamara Centre for Construction Innovation and Sustainability
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)1 896 3720
Email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Accessibuilt list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Nick Metcalfe
Sent: 26 June 2009 14:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Rise of Steps
Dear All,
sorry to bother you on a friday afternoon, but i was wondering if anyone
could tell me why according to part M and other documentation the rise
of a step should be 150mm or 170mm?
Many Thanks
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