Are Your Handrails DDA Compliant?

The Disability Discrimination Act has had a major impact on the design of handrail systems in any public or commercial environment and to assist you with your plans, we have put together this quick guide to the key elements that affect handrail and staircase design:

• Handrails must extend 300mm past the start and finish of the stairs and return to the wall
• The handrail must be positioned 900mm above the pitch line and 1100mm on the landings
• If staircase exceeds 1100mm wide then handrail is needed to both sides of the stair
• If the staircase exceeds 1800mm wide then the stair should have a centre handrail with each section no smaller than 1000mm wide (please not this prevents stair widths between 1800mm and 2000mm)
• The handrail profile should be between 40mm and 45mm (where circular) or for oval handrails a minimum of 50mm width and 15mm radius
• There should be a clearance of between 60mm and 75mm between the handrail and any wall surface.
• The rise and going of the staircase must be consistent throughout the flight
• The going of each step should be at least:
  • 250mm in public places
  • 280mm in schools
  • 300mm for mobility impaired
• There should be no more than 12 risers
• The maximum rise should be 150mm

Whilst these are generally accepted as the guidelines for the industry, each local authority has their own interpretation and we would recommend that you run your designs passed their building control department prior to commissioning work.

If you require further advice and assistance on any aspect of staircase or handrail design please do not hesitate to contact us.