Stair guard rail

The inclined rail frame that follows a scaffold stair flight on its open side, with handrail and knee rail, and joins the landings above and below.

Also called: stair handrail, stair rail, outer stair rail, inner stair rail, landing rail

After the twentieth trip of the day up the scaffold stair, nobody holds on consciously any more. The stair guard rail runs alongside the sloping flight and stops anyone slipping sideways or falling over the open edge.

On a normal bay the side protection with its horizontal rails does this job. On a stair that does not work, because the fall edge runs at an angle. The stair guard rail therefore follows the pitch of the flight and connects to the landings at top and bottom. No stair tower is handed over without it.

Design and variants

Essentially it is an inclined tube frame, mostly aluminium, less often galvanised steel. The handrail sits on top with a second rail at about knee height below; many designs combine both in one part. Length follows the flight, which means the bay length – usually 2.57 m or 3.07 m – and the normal 2 m lift.

• Outer rail: on the free side of the flight facing away from the scaffold.
• Inner rail: on the inside, towards the stairwell when two switchback flights lie side by side, or where the gap to the wall is large.
• Landing rail: closes the gap between two flights at the landing.
• Accessories: rail holders, posts and closing rails.

Connection varies. On frame systems the rail often slots into seats on the stair or is clamped to the frame with welded half couplers. On rosette systems it frequently rests on the ledgers at the top and on holders at the disc below, or has its own wedge heads.

Fitting

1. Hang the flight and secure it against lifting as the instructions require.
2. Where needed, fit rail holders at the bottom and top of the flight on the outer upright or frame.
3. Place or insert the outer rail, drive wedges or tighten couplers.
4. Add the inner rail wherever an opening remains – above all on switchback towers.
5. Complete landing and end rails and the three-part side protection with toe board at the landing.
6. Walk the whole flight once and check for wobble or gaps.

Dismantle in reverse; a flight's rail comes off only when nobody uses the stair above.

Checks and mistakes

• Gaps at the landing: the most frequent defect is an opening where flight and landing meet. Landing or closing rails belong there.
• Matching part: rails are made for the length and pitch of one particular flight. A rail from another stair often fits somehow, but not securely.
• Deformation: aluminium takes knocks badly. Dented tubes, cracked welds or bent hooks rule a rail out.
• Connections: wedges, half couplers and hooks must be complete and move freely.
• Inspection: the stair tower is checked by a competent person before use like the rest of the scaffold – in the USA under OSHA rules before each work shift.
• Buying used: ask which stair the rail belongs to. Scuffs and mortar are normal, bent rails are not.

Rails are listed together with the stair units under ladders and stairs.