Easy Stair Question..I hope

I am building a Mezzanine floor in my Woodwork Shed (Industrial Shed) and are about to organise the steps.

I can get them manufactured by a Stair Company and they will produce stairs with Timber Stringers (250mm treads...172.3mm riser)
or a local firm can produce a set with Steel Stringers BUT with preset (250mm tread & 175mm riser). This gives me a last step onto the upper floor of 131mm ...44mm lower than the other 175mm risers


Question ...Does anyone in the know believe that this difference on the top step be too much?

Obviously the Steel Stringer option is cheaper but I don't like the idea of someone tripping on th top of the stairs as the total rise from the Ground Floor is 3.1 metres..17 steps....That's a long way down.

Cheers

Generally trips occur when a rise is larger not smaller. If you are worried about it get it manufactured in reverse so it is the first step that has the smaller rise.

I am surprised that steel is cheaper, but then again I am not a stair expert.

just get it made so all the steps are the same height - a single low or high step can ruin your day, health, life

unless I am missing something (which is likely) ..... this practise is very dangerous.

For 3 months I lived in a 5 storey building that had a top step rise slightly lower than the rest. It was the last step to the landing to my front door. After 3 months, I still almost fell every time I left or arrived home, especially at night (even sober :) )
Don't do it. Even a small difference is really dangerous.

.

Thanks to everyone for your comments..I think I will get them made to have all equal risers...better safe than sorry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skot

I can get them manufactured by a Stair Company and they will produce stairs with Timber Stringers (250mm treads...172.3mm riser)
or a local firm can produce a set with Steel Stringers BUT with preset (250mm tread & 175mm riser). This gives me a last step onto the upper floor of 131mm ...44mm lower than the other 175mm riser

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At what stage is your mezzanine?
Can you raise your floor level easily or economically to accommodate the steel staircase?
As mentioned above 44mm does represent a substantial trip hazard.

The subfloor is down as of this weekend...just got back from another day of hard yakka and should have the plywood subfloor finished tomorrow. I don't want to raise the floor as this is only the first stage of the mezzanine. Later on I will extend the floor to bring it to about 72 square metres and not really keen on raising that much floor.


I reacon the best way to go is get a proper mob in to do the stairs and build it with all equal risers.

I'm Not 100% Sure But I Think Aust Standards Are For Less Than 17 Treads In One Flight Of Stairs, Might Want To Look At Putting A Landiing In, If At All Possible.

Skot,
If you make them according to the BCA (which has the power of the law behind it) and somebody has an accident, then it is an accident.

If the stairs are built wrong, then you could be liable.

In my experience the main users get used to a discrepancy, but it is the visitors that trip. I saw it last year when a 75 year old went face down. The bottom step was about 30 short.

Are asking us on an open forum to tell you that you will be OK to disobey the rules? Do it right first time.

Cheers
Bill.