Stairway Safety
There is nothing worse than falling down
the stairs. This is the biggest problem I can think of in common house
construction. Most contractors build safety guard rails around the
stairs during construction.
The expense from the labor and materials is
nothing in comparison to someone falling down and getting injured or a
possible law suit. Builders really do a great service to the Public by
taking the time to understand the building codes and safety issues
related to stair building.
House Framing Safety
While framing a two-story house is necessary to provide safety railing were ever there is any opening in which someone could possibly fall out of the Building. It is often necessary if there is an opening in which the top of the opening is less than 42 inches from the floor it would require some sort of wood protection to keep someone from falling out to the second-floor.
42 inches is a standard guard rail
height so all railing protection should be a minimum of 42 inches. While going up and down the stairs during the construction process for everyone involved, contractors, subcontractors, workers and tradesmen for their safety is necessary to provide protection to avoid any accidents in the stairwell.
Use the example below on how to build a temporary handrail system until the final and real system will be installed.
4 x 12 Lower Stair Stringer Trip Hazard