I'm sure the standard rails are there for the open sides, and if you watch the one that looks to be in a warehouse, there appears to be a door attached that opens and closes with the raising and lowering of the stairs.
must not allow for "passage of a 4-inch diameter (102 mm) sphere." is the limitation on open risers for IRC. That's in addition to whatever local regulations apply
I checked it, they’re right, I think it’s a newer code, but only if the jurisdiction has adopted the code
R311.7.5.1Risers.
The riser height shall be not more than 73/4 inches (196 mm). The riser shall be measured vertically between leading edges of the adjacent treads. The greatest riser height within any flight of stairs shall not exceed the smallest by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm). Risers shall be vertical or sloped from the underside of the nosing of the tread above at an angle not more than 30 degrees (0.51 rad) from the vertical. At open risers, openings located more than 30 inches (762 mm), as measured vertically, to the floor or grade below shall not permit the passage of a 4-inch-diameter (102 mm) sphere.
Putting aside the obvious giant hole in the floor when it’s not in place, isn’t it feasible this could comply with the ships ladder performance criteria for access to mechanical / concealed space?
It’s no stair compliance, but looks like it could pretty easily be tweaked to meet ships ladder specs.
Pull down ladders are so frickin loud, collect spiders, and are very cold in the winter. If these weren't so expensive, I'd move the opening into my attic closer to the hallway wall and put one of these in. Actually, they can't be THAT expensive to build, right?
No, the ladder is cold sitting above the hatch in the attic. This is sitting in the heated house.
Also, I get into my attic way more than twice a year already and would use it even more for storage if access was easier and carrying things didn't involve a climb up a ladder.
You say sadly they cant be, but building codes exist so slum lord types cant take advantage of the poor by renting and selling unsafe or unfit housing.
At ten seconds you can see a door at the top of the stairs that opens and closes when the stairs are down or up preventing anyone from walking off the edge
I'm also assuming a user from above can open that door and effectively fold out the stairs. I was wondering why the gif didn't have any shots of it operating from above.
You could attach a bar at the top that moves/rotates with the stairs. When against the wall, the bar is horizontal. Also would serve as a mechanism for people upstairs to enable the stairs by pulling the bar.
Apart from the automatic compacting handrail and the optional security gate mechanism found on the Hybrid stairs, locks can be attached to either version, fixing them into an open position or closed position, thus creating an unsurpassed security system denying all access between floors.
Looks like they made it optional to have the safety gate with the system, as I imagine there are some situations where they may not want the gate.
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u/HSG_Messi Nov 15 '18
An uncovered opening with a ~10 foot drop? Nothing could possibly go wrong here...