Overview
According to Architectural Graphic Standards, Tenth Edition, stairways “...are the site of accidents resulting in approximately 4,000 deaths and one million injuries requiring hospital treatment annually in the United States.” No wonder, then, that several mathematical formulas have been developed to help minimize stairway tripping hazards. Most notably, these formulas regulate the ratio of the height of the riser to the depth of the tread for the contiguous steps of any given stairway. In addition, various other restrictions are imposed... all with the aim of assuring safe and comfortable stairways.
Now then, when an exterior stairway spills out onto a sidewalk with an appreciable slope, it is not possible (without the use of the techniques which this new Method teaches) to obtain a uniform ratio of riser-to-tread, thereby possibly introducing a serious tripping hazard. In any stairway it is most important for that ratio to be consistent. The mind of the pedestrian using a stairway is very quick to implant a biomechanical rhythm, and to predict just how high the next step will be. To encounter even a slight difference can result in tripping.
This new method will show how to design minor modifications to the normal geometry of the individual steps of stairways that interface with sloping surfaces.
The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 15 questions at the end of this course to earn PDH credit.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Overview of matters relating to stairway design in general
- Introduction to several of the codes covering exterior stairway design
- Insight into how stairways that interface with sloping sidewalks can engender safety problems
- Presentation of a clear explanation of how “riser” and “tread” dimensions should be measured
- The mathematics to perform in the design of safer stairways that interface with sloping sidewalks
Course
Click on the following link to the PDF document to review the course material before taking the quiz for credit.
Safe Steps From Sloping Sidewalks
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