Do you know the feeling of silent disgust that creeps over you when you have to touch door handles, handholds or handrails in buildings or trains? Especially now, during the flu season, this is one more reason for many people to avoid touching possible sources of viruses and bacteria. But while it is often possible to use the "elbow technique" for door handles and to avoid some handholds, there is unfortunately no way around the handrail if you want to be safe on stairs.
In the workplace environment, safety on stairs is always an issue, even though workers are not legally obliged to use the handrail. However, companies can implement it through a walking risk assessment. A risk assessment on walking? That really sounds like bureaucracy of the finest kind. Because of course there is a risk of tripping, slipping or falling when walking, but probably just as there is a risk of choking when eating. One would think so. But the reality is different. After all, around 20 percent of all reportable accidents in workplaces are due to tripping, slipping or falling. This danger is even greater on stairs: in fact, more people die in Germany as a result of falling down stairs than as a result of a motorbike accident - according to the Federal Statistical Office. The first and last two steps are particularly dangerous because, on the one hand, the length of the step changes and, on the other hand, many people have not yet consciously reached the stairs or their thoughts have already moved on. A simple handrail can significantly reduce this danger.
If you don't want to put your hand on the handrail for fear of dirt and germs, you should at least keep it in a lurking position, i.e. a few centimetres above it, so that you can grab it directly in the event of a fall. On the other hand, if you hold your hand casually in your pocket, you are guaranteed not to be fast enough. Another compromise in practice applies to the transport of objects. After all, it is not very practical to carry each file folder individually from one floor to the next in buildings without a lift so that one hand remains free for the handrail. If you cannot find anyone to help you carry bulky objects, deliberately walk each step slowly and attentively, because one of the main reasons for falls is inattention.
But how do you get people to use the handrail even without raising their index finger? Vattenfall has implemented what we think is a successful practical example at its Moorburg power plant. There, the stairwell shows the shadows of various employees climbing the stairs and with their hands on the handrail. You can find the detailed article "Shadows on the wall" on page 12 in the magazine "etem" issue 3/2013.
The perfect staircase should be clean, safe to step on and well lit. Additional safety is provided by colour-highlighted corners of the steps. There are many tips and hints on the web - including the above-mentioned article. We usually only notice how important a matter of course is when we are walking in old buildings. If a step does not correspond to the standardised height, we are guaranteed to stumble. The grating stairs installed in many facilities harbour another risk. When the prongs or small knobs have worn off over time, these stairs become slippery. People who use such stairs frequently automatically take this into account. If you should provide such stairs with new anti-slip coverings, inform your colleagues about it on the spot, otherwise you may unintentionally create a source of accidents because nobody expects the new grip. And should you ever stumble: With your hand on the handrail, it's guaranteed not to be so bad.
