Davy Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hi all, We're building some stage treads for a performance involving young people, does anybody know of any regulations regarding the dimensions of the steps and whether or not we need railings etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlinford Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hi all, We're building some stage treads for a performance involving young people, does anybody know of any regulations regarding the dimensions of the steps and whether or not we need railings etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! There's not technically any regulation, however you should be carrying out an appropriate risk assessment based on how the treads are used - how many people, what age/height they are, how high the treads go, etc. To better guide you in your design, you'd want to consult the ABTT Yellow Book and possibly the building regulations. In general, unless they're only a couple of steps (and with kids, probably even then) the answer is yes, you'd want handrails which should have a mid rail and uprights such that the kids can't fall through them; toe boards are a good plan if there are going to be chairs anywhere near the platform edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiLL Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 A 'standard' of sorts is a 6 inch (15 cm) riser and a 9 inch (22.5 cm) tread. But as already said it's more a case of common sense then any strict regulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRisdale Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 The relevent section of the building regs is Part K. As has been said, I don't think you're really bound to this for a stage set, but it gives you a starting point at least. Page 6 is probably most relevent to you. Gareth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitlane Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Obviously not too steep or narrow. Very important to keep rise depths and tread heights consistent. Will you mark the edges in white tape/paint? How slippy/grippy is the tread surface? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Some Bloke Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 In general, unless they're only a couple of steps (and with kids, probably even then) the answer is yes, you'd want handrails which should have a mid rail and uprights such that the kids can't fall through them Although this is the "best case scenario" which you should aim for certainly, if you think of ANY musical or panto with big flashy treads that light up and have cast parading down them in style, when did they ever have hadrails at the sides, let alone down the middle? If the result you want doesn't involve handrails then do a risk assessment. If you reckon the performers (and crew, if they use them) will be safe without handrails becuase you've got other measures in place (e.g. decent size tread, not too high a riser, walkthough of the set in working lights then walkthrough in stage lighting then rehearsal) then write it all down and go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roderick Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 It is important to make sure all steps are equal in step and rise. Even a small difference between steps will cause people to trip more likely, it is just the way our brains work.And, as JSB suggested, make sure that you take all crew and cast on a walkthrough in full worklight, and document it for your risk assessment.If large groups of people need to go up or down steps in a black-out, try to find a way to put markers on the steps that aren't visible from the audience such as "glow tape" or blue LED sunken into the step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Hi guys, thanks for all your replies they've been very useful, you've actually supported our original ideas. Loads to go on and we will be using the glow tape! Cheers guys :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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