What is the maximum permitted gap between guardrails?

Guardrails are used in many circumstances to prevent people from falling. In the UK there are many regulations and rules governing guardrails. These regulations are in place to ensure that organisations follow safety standards as well as to make users confident that products are safe. 

In this blog post, we will discuss different guardrail regulations regarding their heights and the maximum permitted gap between guardrails. 

Guardrail types

There are many types of guardrails and each of them has slightly different regulations. Today we will focus on the most popular guardrails such as outdoor guardrails, indoor guardrails and guardrails for children’s safety.

Outdoor Guardrails 

The UK Building Regulations state that guardrails located on terraces or rooftops must be a minimum of 0.9 metres high from the floor. If guardrails are used for construction work, they must meet a requirement of 950mm minimum height and gaps between the top rail and intermediate rail cannot go over 470mm.

Indoor Guardrails

When it comes to railings for indoor guardrails, they must be a minimum of 0.9 metres high. Moreover, it has to be ensured that guardrails cannot be climbed by children. This is to prevent accidents that can pose risks to children’s health. Thus, every area where guardrails are planned to be installed has to be thoroughly inspected.

Children’s Safety Guardrails 

According to UK’s Building Regulations, in domestic and residential areas, railings located on balconies/outdoor roofs must have a minimum height of 1.1 metres. The regulations also state that the maximum permitted gap between spindles is 100 mm, this includes staircases inside homes. It has to be ensured that small children won’t slide through gaps and become stuck, which could lead to a serious life-threatening situation.

Why guardrail regulations are important?

Guardrails must adhere to the regulations in order to prevent accidents. Therefore, they are important to follow. Otherwise, if any accident happened, you can be held liable for it. It is also important to mention that your railings have to be reassessed over time. 

How Alpha Rail Can Help

This blog is a summary of some key information about guardrail height regulations and the maximum permitted gap between guardrails. However, if you need more detailed advice, we are happy to help. Please fill out the form below, or call us on 01623 750 214. 

We have been in the railing business since 1985, considering ourselves to be one of the leading manufacturers of architectural metalwork in the UK. You can check out our projects: here.