05 52 00 Metal Railings

05 52 00 Metal Railings

Guardrails: Design Criteria, Building Codes, & Installation

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Designing and Installing a Safe System
Almost every commercial and public building, whether it is an office building, sports arena, place of worship, or school building, contains a guardrail system. Guardrail systems are installed to provide safety and protection for the building occupants and are placed at or near the outer edges, of flights of stairs, ramps, landings, platforms, balconies and accessible areas of roofs. They will also be found at the perimeter edge of any opening or accessible surface, such as an open­ing for a stairway, or at a location where operating conditions require limited access to a designated area in order to guard against accidental falls.

Metal Railings

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Metal railing systems are a typical solution for applications that include stairs, ramps, drop offs and uneven walkways. Metal railings utilize the same basic structural components as wood railings; a top handrail, a bottom rail or track, balusters or newel posts for main load transfer to the walking surface, and infill panels, pickets or spindles.

Metal Railings

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Metal railing systems are a typical feature of design elements such as stairs, ramps, drop-offs and uneven walkways. Metal railings utilize the same basic structural components as wood railings: a top handrail; a bottom rail or track; balusters or newel posts for main load transfer to the walking surface; and infill panels, pickets or spindles. While the design of railing systems must meet stringent code requirements for safety and structural support, metal railing systems offer a broad range of design options from a basic picket rail to an industrial wire mesh panel to custom artistic designs. The structural capacity, durability, and ease of fabrication of metal railing systems provide some advantage over wood railings, but they are generally more expensive.