Staircases are a necessity in all homes that are above one floor in height, which can make them an inevitable safety hazard for families with young children who have not yet grasped how to climb up or down them. This is why, if you fit into that category, you should make prior considerations as to how to make your new staircase as safe as possible before you make the purchase, as well as making adjustments once it has been installed.
Here at Abbott-Wade, we have done the hard work for you, by producing this blog post to rid your stairs of any potential risks and to give you peace of mind that your child will not be injured by falling down the stairs.
Safety gates
One of the most popular safety apparatus that you see on the top of stairs in a young families’ home, the safety gate has been used by parents to stop their children falling down the stairs for many years. We’re sure when visiting a friend’s house who is a parent, you have had to negotiate your way past one of these to visit the bathroom at one point or another!
They can be fitted to the wall in a variety of ways, using either pressure or screws, giving them maximum security to ensure your child doesn’t open the gate and loose their footing down the stairs.
Smaller treads
Another safety aspect of your stairs to consider can be applied while the staircase is being installed. This can be to decrease the size of the treads (gaps in between each step) of your staircase. Some staircases that you inherit when moving home already come with no tread, which is ideal for keeping your young children from catching their foot in a tread thus tripping on the stairs. However, if you are looking to perform a staircase renovation then you can incorporate smaller or no treads into your staircase design idea to eliminate this hazard altogether.
Sturdy balustrades
Another overlooked area of staircase safety is the balustrade. Sure, they might be an area in which you want to add to the aesthetic of your staircase, but if you have a young family, they are a component that needs to be safe and secure. This can often be achieved by a strong glass balustrade that won’t show any sign of smashing or cracking. However, if you happen to have wood balustrades that have a gap between each, be mindful of how big this gap is and whether your children’s hands could potentially get stuck in between.
Clear stairs of trip hazards
If you are a household that likes to leave items on the stairs to take upstairs later, but never get round to it, then you could be causing a serious trip hazard that is only a matter of time before someone or something falls down them! By taking this simple step (pardon the pun) to avoid this risk, you can give yourself peace of mind that people in your households can climb up or walk down your staircase without tripping over a rogue object.
Contact us
Do you have any questions about the safety of your staircase? Or would you just like to get in touch with a general enquiry? If so, be sure to contact the team at Abbott-Wade today! Give us a call on 01744 634 442 or email us at info@abbottwade.co.uk/ to get in touch with us directly or fill out our online enquiry form now.
