ADA-compliant aluminum steps are essential to use in school buildings. You can get new steps ready for entry points to your school. These steps are particularly critical for mobile classrooms and modular buildings, since the doors leading to those structures are often inches or feet above the ground. REDD Team can help you create ADA aluminum steps for school buildings based on your unique work needs.
Essential Features for ADA-Compliant Steps
The design of your ADA aluminum steps will be vital to providing safe and simple access to a school building. There are many parts to see when reviewing how your design will work:
- The stairs should feature non-skid surfaces with enough grooves to secure a safe grip while walking.
- There should also be handrails on both sides of the steps. The handrails should be 34 to 38 inches above the walking surface.
- Additional guardrails should appear on the top parts of the handrails. These rails can be at least four inches above where the handrails end.
- End loops are necessary for the ends of the handrails. These loops should be as high as the rest of the handrails and provide enough of a surface to allow the user to grasp the rails.
- Small openings can also appear on the ends of the steps. These openings allow rain to move through without pooling up.
How Are the Steps Measured?
The stairs should also be measured to ensure they are easy for people to go on:
- Each step should be at least 11 inches deep, providing enough room for someone’s foot to stay on it without losing balance.
- There can be a rise of 4 to 7 inches between steps.
- A beveled nosing can appear on the steps, but that nosing must be less than 1.5 inches.
- The tread edge radius on each step can be up to 0.5 inches.
- For cases where an angled riser appears, the riser can slope under the tread at an angle of 30 degrees or less from the vertical.
How Wide Should the Steps Be?
The steps should be at least 60 inches wide, and at least 56 inches should be usable. Expect the handrails and guardrails to take up a bit of space, but they should be built to where they won’t crowd more of the steps than necessary.
How Are Your Steps Installed?
You can have your ADA steps installed by RED Team or with a series of anchors that go around the entire body. The anchors should be stable enough to keep the steps from shifting. You can also get the steps bolted directly into a modular classroom building as necessary.
What about Warning Colors?
You can add a warning stripe to the end of each step to make these steps easier to spot. Yellow is useful because it’s easier for people to view this color. But whatever you add, make sure the tone is distinguishable from the rest of the aluminum body.
ADA aluminum steps for school buildings need to be designed well and with the right materials and dimensions. REDD Team can create steps that fit your space while using sturdy aluminum compounds that won’t rust, corrode, or change shape due to weather conditions. You can reach us online or by phone at (800) 648-3696 if you’re looking for help getting steps ready for your school building.
