Metal Handrail

[stephen ingham]

Hi guys, this is a recent project of mine.
Customer originally had a wooden hand rail which had rotted and broken, so they asked me to replace it with a steel box section one with matching bottom rail.
Hope you all like it?

[Razor]

Looks good. Are there end caps to be fitted? Why did you go that way rather than welding plates on?

[stephen ingham]

Hi, thanks for the reply.
Yes there are end caps to be fitted, customer insisted rather than welding ends up...

[Hitch]

Looks a tidy bit of fab, but it doesn't exactly meet the regs by the look of it.


Was it galved as well as powder? I can't see any vent holes...

[stephen ingham]

Regs.....what regs are we talking about?
Have i done something wrong?

It was shot blasted, primed and powder coated

[wine~o]

Regs.....what regs are we talking about?
Have i done something wrong?

It was shot blasted, primed and powder coated

100mm between the "Spindles" for a start...

[stephen ingham]

you are right.....there is 25mm between the 50mm and 25mm ones and 150mm between the 25mm and the 50mm, if that makes sense?

[Hitch]

you are right.....there is 25mm between the 50mm and 25mm ones and 150mm between the 25mm and the 50mm, if that makes sense?

Yeah, I understand what you mean. If thats the case, the height looks pretty low too, it should be 900-1000mm to the top from the pitch line.
Are you in the UK Stephen? If you are, the rails ought to meet building regs, part K.
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildi ... d#Download

Is fabricating this sort of thing your main line of work?

[stephen ingham]

The height is 925mm from the step to the top of the hand rail....
Yes i am based in West Yorkshire.
No this is not my main line of work, if anything its more of a one off job....
You have me worried now.....should i try and do something about it?

[Someone-Else]

I think its to do with a childs head being able to go through the gap.

Could you not add something (decorative) to reduce the gap, or you could...........

[Hitch]

For a domestic/public building the guarding shouldn't allow a 100mm sphere to pass through it at any point. Where practical, that would include the gap between the base rail and steps, but that doesn't seem to be enforced unless you get a real nitpicking idiot checking it. But its best to do it properly to avoid any rework in the future.

For public buildings, schools etc, part M also comes into play a lot now.
Below is an example of a rail that is compliant with reg part K & M. so you can see what I mean.

Industrial premises are a bit different, as children wouldn't be deemed as being a user of the building.

Like I say Stephen, it looks a tidy job, seen worse from so called professionals

As of July this year, there is new law coming in that is changing the fabrication industry somewhat, EN1090. Its basically CE marking, ensuring that fabricated structural components are made properly.