The application of highlighted nosing on treads on stairways assists in, the main, people with a vision impairment; however all members of the community benefit from this application. The highlighted nosing is used to indicate the location of the nosing or leading edge of the tread to ensure the safe movement up and down the stairway by all member of the public. People with a vision impairment may not be able to locate the edge of the tread on a stairway if the top of the nosing does not have adequate highlighting to distinguish one tread from the next, thus making it extremely difficult for them to use the steps safely. To many people with a vision impairment the stairway without this application will look like a ramp or shaded section of a walkway. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) refers to stairways in D3.3(c) and requires compliance with AS1428.1 for stairways that are required to have access features. The Commission's view is that all stairways, other than those specifically exempted under the BCA, should have these features for access and safety reasons. AS1428.1 clause 91(c) specifies technical details such as dimensioning, location and luminance contrast criteria. |
