Many types of railings are installed by contractors, such as a simple iron railing on a short stairway outside a residence’s front door and a wood railing people can hold onto when they descend to a lower level. Commercial Railing Installation In Hawaii commonly involves guardrails which have a different function than handrails.
Handrails and Guard Railings
Handrails are installed to provide guidance and stability. In contrast, guardrails have the specific purpose of preventing falls. Handrails may prevent falls, but that’s because they give a person something to hold on to while walking up or down stairs. A guard Railing Installation In Hawaii prevents falls by providing a barrier of a certain height and strength.
Technical Definitions
Technically, according to the International Code Council, a guardrail is a device along a road that prevents vehicles from moving beyond that barrier. The rail that prevents people or pets from falling off a balcony, mezzanine, deck or roof is a guard. People have a tendency to refer to them as rails, however, as the structures commonly have a top horizontal rail and numerous vertical rails underneath.
Considerations
The barriers generally only work for people who are behaving in a reasonable manner. A guard that stands about 4 ft. tall could be expected to offer a place for people to prop their arms while looking out over it, but it’s typically not intended for adults to lean on with their full weight.
The specific weight-bearing capacity might only be about 50 lbs. This type of barrier also may not prevent falls for people who are leaning far over it or who decide to sit on it straddling the top rail. Those are dangerous actions that should not be indulged in.
Locations
Once a person starts thinking about railings that function as guard barriers, he or she will start noticing them in numerous places throughout the day. These guards, as installed by a company like Structural Systems, are commonly seen around decks outside restaurants, balconies on high-rise apartment buildings and mezzanines in arenas.
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