Tuesday 6 October 2015

The balustrade height regulations

What regulations rule the balustrade industry?

Surprisingly, one of the most common searches throughout the internet regarding balustrades isn’t actually where to find them: it’s people, like me and you, looking for the legal requirements you need to get a balustrade installed in your business/home. Due to health and safety reasons, there are heights that need to be met by balustrades and railings in order for them to be installed safely from use by the general public. In this blog, we’ll discuss the code of practice with balustrades, ensuring you’re meeting the legal requirements!
What are the laws regarding balustrades?
If you’re planning on installing a balustrade inside of your business, you’re required to meet the height of 0.9m from “datum” (datum is a reference to the point in which you stand on) all the way to the top of the handrail. This is good for businesses to know, as they will need to check their designs are fit to protect their customers and the public.
For external balustrades or balconies, you’ll need to meet a higher size of 1.1m from datum. This is to ensure that people around the balustrade itself will have a much lower percentage of falling over the top. Consider what your balustrade is going to be used for: are there going to be children around it regularly, sitting on furniture? Balustrade laws changed in businesses when the hazard of children falling over the balconies of shopping centres became an existent problem.
It’s also good to remember that balustrades with an older height that are situated in an area that accommodates large crowds should be subject to continuous risk assessments to ensure maximum safety is kept.
Balustrades and balconies are installed for safety
Balustrades and balconies are installed for safety
A good thing for businesses to remember...
All businesses across the UK should remember that you’ll need to meet the balustrade standards in order for them to be approved for health and safety reasons. Be sure to assess the risks and implement any strategies to counteract potential danger hazards to children or adults.
Though we recommend this highly, we also understand that you cannot immediately replace or modify older balustrades simply due to their age or financial constraints. There are a number of alternatives that you can implement to ensure the safety of those who use your balustrade.
In summary...
Remember that whilst balustrade systems may not have lenient rules, they’re enforced for a reason. You need to ensure overall safety of everybody at all times when using your balustrades!
For more on balustrade heights, designs, regulations and builds, please visit our balustrading website.
What did you think of this blog? Let us know in the comments below!

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