Guardrail Safety: Protect Your Occupants

On December 6, 2015, three men fell from the third floor of a building in the Lachine borough. Authorities quickly pointed to a problem with the guardrail anchors as the cause of this tragic incident.

Guardrails are very important safety components of a building. Here is an overview of the regulations and the items to check to ensure occupant safety.

Not a ramp!

Guardrails should not be confused with “ramps.” A ramp is a sloped surface that provides access to a building, for example for people with reduced mobility.

A guardrail, on the other hand, is a protective barrier placed around openings in a floor or along the open sides of a stair, landing, balcony, mezzanine, gallery or raised walkway. Its main purpose is to prevent accidental falls.

Requirements

Listing every requirement for installing a guardrail in detail would be tedious. However, it is important to know that a guardrail is required wherever a difference in elevation exceeds 600 mm (24 inches).

Guardrails must be designed to withstand loads applied horizontally (pressure exerted) inward or outward. The Building Code specifies these minimum loads based on the guardrail’s location.

The Building Code also sets the minimum height of a guardrail. The height varies according to criteria such as the number of dwelling units or the number of storeys in a building. The minimum height is either 900 mm (36 inches) or 1070 mm (42 inches).

Of course, there are other restrictions as well, such as the maximum size of openings in guardrails and the requirement that young children must not be able to climb them. As a result, guardrails with horizontal or diagonal members are strictly prohibited in residential buildings.

Inspection

For new buildings, the builder is responsible for complying with the applicable rules. However, owners, syndicates of co-owners and property managers alike must ensure their equipment remains in good condition.

Guardrails can be attached at the base by their posts, to the adjacent wall, or both. You must then make sure the anchors used can withstand the pressure exerted. Sometimes anchors are damaged or simply unsuitable. In other cases, it is the anchoring surface (floor, landing or wall) that is damaged or unable to keep the component stable. For steel guardrails, the quality of the welds must also be checked, as they can also be at fault.

Checking these components is easier in small buildings. It is more complex in large residential towers, since balconies can only be accessed through the units. A thorough, frequent inspection procedure must then be established. For buildings more than 10 years old with five or more storeys above ground, some of these checks are part of the façade inspection requirements of the Régie du bâtiment’s Quebec Safety Code (formerly Bill 122).

In all cases, do not hesitate to call on a member of a professional order (technologist, engineer, architect) to carry out a more thorough inspection and obtain a condition report that includes maintenance and repair recommendations for your building.

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