New design guide published for timber stairs

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Stair Scheme has launched a design guide to aid the design and manufacture of safe and compliant timber stairs.

After the British Standards Institution (BSI) declared the standard ‘BS 585 Wood Stairs’ obsolete in 2004, there has been confusion for timber stair designers and manufacturers about how to comply with the various UK and EU standards, regulations and codes.

In order to help them, the BWF Stair Scheme has published ‘Timber stairs - A Guide to Designing and Manufacturing Safe and Compliant Staircases.’ The aim of the guide is to simplify the conflicting standards and regulations surrounding timber staircases and provide robust industry guidance for their design and manufacture, which can be applied throughout the construction sector. A separate guide focusing on the installation of staircases is also under development.

Kevin Underwood, technical director of the BWF, says: “When designing a timber staircase there is scope for creating a masterpiece. But with stairs in the home being the cause of 10 deaths a week and a serious fall every 90 seconds, as discovered through research by BRE, safety must be an essential factor in the design process. BWF Stair Scheme members are at the forefront of this safety and quality drive.”

The design guide concentrates on domestic staircases, including those in individual flats or apartments within a building. It covers straight flights, winder flights, half landings and helical staircases, handrails, balusters and other guardings. A variety of technical data is covered including performance requirements, loadings, and illustrations of the layout of staircases. The design guide concludes with guidance on how to demonstrate performance through calculation and testing.

The launch of the design guide took place at a stairs seminar attended by 135 architects and specifiers at The Building Centre in London. Guest speakers included Mike Roys of BRE, Tim Ball of JHD Architects and Kevin Underwood of BWF, explaining the most common problems with staircases and exploring how new fire certificated timber stairs are being considered for low and medium rise blocks.  

The BWF Stair Scheme was established in 2010 to raise awareness of timber stair standards and stair safety. It is the only accreditation and certification of its kind in the UK and accounts for approximately 70% of the timber stair market. BWF Stair Scheme members are regularly audited to ensure quality and safety, and the BWF Stair Scheme label provides customer reassurance about standards with every stair badged with a unique serial number as evidence of accreditation or certification.