Guard height and infill spacing are among the most common reasons stairs fail inspection — and a failed inspection means rework on a component that's already finished and fastened. This course gives BC home builders a field-ready command of handrail and guard requirements: correct height ranges and graspable profiles across stair and landing conditions, when a guard is required and how to measure its height correctly, and how the 100 mm sphere test governs opening size across the infill types you'll actually install. You'll also learn what guards must structurally resist — because passing the sphere test doesn't by itself mean a guard is compliant — and how to bring it all together to catch likely failures before an inspector does.
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Apply correct handrail height ranges and graspable profile requirements across the stair and landing conditions builders encounter in the field
- Determine when a guard is required and measure guard height correctly across level-floor, landing, and stair conditions
- Apply the 100 mm sphere test to govern opening size across common guard infill types
- Identify the structural load requirements guards must meet, and recognize that opening-size compliance alone does not guarantee a compliant guard
- Apply inspection-focused review to the full set of handrail and guard rules to identify likely failure points before inspection