It happens to a lot of people. One minute you think that you’ve seen the first rise in the staircase, and then the next minute you’re writhing in pain because you stubbed your toe. But, if you think about it, a stubbed toe is a whole lot better than falling forward on the steps of a staircase.
This is the danger of climbing a staircase that isn’t as visible to the eye. Many people fail to gauge their distance from the first step because they can’t see it clearly. So, if you’re building commercial stairs in Melbourne or if you want to report to your company that you stubbed your toe at the office stairs, you should keep in mind that visible steps are the key to preventing injuries.
Here’s how you can do that.
Clean the steps first
Before you start putting on visibility strips or any other marker on your staircase, make sure that you clean it first. According to experts, clean surfaces tend to have greater contrast, so they’re easier to be seen by the naked eye. Remove all the dirt, rubble, grease, and smudges on your stairs.
Light it up
The next step is to set up proper lighting in the staircase. Some people prefer to keep the light in the hallways and staircase the same to have a uniformed effect. But in doing so, it might be hard for some people to notice the change in elevation or formation of the surface they’re walking on.
What you can do is increase the wattage of the light bulbs in the staircase. This way, people will notice a slight change to the intensity of the light and perhaps make them focus more on what the light is trying to illuminate.
If you’re going to choose a light bulb, go with a low glare type and install it overhead, directly focusing on the steps. This way, the light won’t cast shadows on the stair treads and the nosing, which is often the part of the stairs where people trip on.
Contrast the nosing
The nosing of the stairs is often the danger area of the staircase. Many people trip over this part of the stairs because they fail to gauge its distance from them. Some experts say that one of the probable reasons for this is that some stairs are uniformed in colour, making it hard to see clearly the nosing.
Paint the nosing a different colour to make it stand out from the rest of the step. Pick a colour that will contrast with the colour of the step and use that to paint the nosing.
Put up a sign
Finally, the surest way to let people know that they’re about to either climb up a flight of stairs or climb down is to put up a sign that will tell them so. Installing a sign near the stairs will immediately alert people that they’re about to ascend or descend. So they’ll be more careful with their step.
Visibility is important when it comes to climbing up or down the stairs. One trip can lead to an injury or something even worse. Make sure that you implement the steps above in order to prevent any accidents.
