Book Course
HSL is to run a 1/2 day course on Stair Assessment.
14 September 2016
Stairs present significant potential for harm to their users. A
fall on stairs often leads to serious injury or even death. In the
UK there is a fall on stairs every 90 seconds (BS
5395-1:2010).
The HSL Falls Prevention Team investigates several fatal stair
accidents each year, often in seemingly innocuous environments like
retail premises and restaurants. There are approximately 100,000
accidents on stairs in leisure environments each year, and several
thousand more in the workplace.
Negotiating stairs is a largely subconscious task and, as such,
falls are often blamed entirely on human error. In reality, the
design of a stair plays a critical role in helping a pedestrian
make their subconscious judgments accurately and therefore safely
negotiate the stair.
HSL forensic investigations into the causes of fatal stair
accidents have found that poor stair design is a significant factor
in many cases. Fatalities are often predated by a history of less
serious falls which have not prompted careful scrutiny. Good stair
design reduces the risk of falls. Simple, cost-effective
improvements to existing stairs can significantly reduce the risk
of a serious fall. There is a clear need to understand the risks
posed by specific stairs by way of assessment.
This course will help you understand the design features of
stairs which can give rise to a risk of falling, and identify
simple remedial improvements to reduce the likelihood of a
fall.
By the end of the course, you will have the knowledge and skills
to assess stairs in your own premises, and identify examples of
good and bad practice. This will allow appropriate changes to
working practices and the work environment to be considered and
planned in proportion with the risks and costs involved.
- How to undertake a stair fall assessment
- Common design issues that give rise to a risk of falls on
stairs - Examples of HSL stair investigations and the findings
- Simple tools for assessing common stair features (stair
assessment tools will be provided to take away as part of the
training) - An opportunity for you to assess stairs yourself and discuss
with the expert
Anyone who is interested in understanding falls on stairs or who
has responsibility for managing health and safety.
We can run bespoke courses at your premises tailored to your
specific requirements. This includes a free expert assessment of
your stairs.
The course will be run at the HSL
laboratory in the spa town of Buxton. Buxton is in the heart of the
Peak District and has good links to mainline train stations and
Manchester International Airport.
Details of hotels in the Buxton area
can be found at www.visitbuxton.co.uk
Cost
The full cost of the course is £395 per person (includes course
notes, lunch and refreshments and assessment tool developed by
HSL).
Book Course
Please note the invoice option is not available within 4
weeks of the course date, or for overseas customers. If you
are selecting the invoice option for payment, it will be mandatory
to input a purchase order/reference number as we are unable to
process booking forms without this.
For further dates and additional information email: training@hsl.gsi.gov.uk
or contact the Training & Conferences Unit
at HSL directly on +44 (0)1298 218806.
