Approved Document K: Protection from falling, collision and impact (2013 Edition) – England Building Regulations
Approved Document K provides statutory guidance for compliance with Part K of the Building Regulations 2010 in England. This 2013 edition, which took effect on 6 April 2013, amasses safety requirements for stairs, ladders, ramps, and glazing that were previously distributed across multiple documents. It specifically incorporates guidance from the superseded 1998 edition and amalgamates provisions from Approved Document N concerning glazing safety and specific access guidance from Approved Document M. The document remains applicable to building work in England and excepted energy buildings in Wales.
The regulatory scope encompasses six primary requirements labelled K1 through K6. These cover the geometry of stairs, ladders and ramps, pedestrian and vehicle barriers, protection against impact with glazing, and safety features for windows and doors. The guidance applies to diverse building categories, including single-family dwellings, factories, warehouses, and residential or educational institutions. It defines technical parameters for structural elements such as rise, going, nosing, and manifestation, providing specific thresholds for heights, widths, and gradients across various use cases.
Detailed sections within the document provide prescriptive values for staircase pitch, guarding heights, and glazing robustness. It also includes provisions for specialized installations like alternating tread stairs and fixed ladders in residential loft conversions, alongside industrial standards for vehicle loading bays and power-operated gates.
Requirement K1: Stairs, ladders and ramps
This section dictates the design and installation of steps and stairs to facilitate safe movement between levels. It classifies stairs into three distinct categories with specific requirements for rise and going.
- Private stair: Intended for a single dwelling, with a maximum pitch of 42° and a minimum going of 220mm.
- Utility stair: Used for escape, maintenance, or non-routine access, requiring a minimum going of 250mm.
- General access stair: Designed for all users on a day-to-day basis, with a maximum rise of 170mm.
- Headroom: A minimum clear headroom of 2m is required on all access routes, though reduced height is permitted for loft conversions in dwellings as per Diagram 1.4.
Specialized stair types are permitted under restrictive conditions.
- Alternating tread stairs: Permitted only in loft conversions for access to one habitable room plus a bathroom/WC if space is insufficient for standard stairs.
- Tapered treads: Must comply with the rise and going measurements at specific points of the tread width, as detailed in Diagram 1.9.
Requirement K2: Protection from falling
Pedestrian guarding must be provided at any edges where there is a risk of falling. The necessity of guarding is determined by the drop height and building type.
- Dwellings: Guarding is required for any fall of more than 600mm.
- Non-dwellings: Guarding is required for any drop exceeding the height of two risers (or 380mm if not part of a stair).
- Guarding Height: Standard heights are 900mm for internal stairs and landings, and 1100mm for external balconies and roof edges.
Requirement K4: Protection against impact with glazing
Glazing in critical locations must be designed to limit the risk of injury from accidental impact. These locations include glass in doors, side panels, and low-level walls (below 800mm from floor level).
- Safe breakage: Glazing must break in a way that is unlikely to cause injury, satisfying BS EN 12600 Class 3 or BS 6206 Class C.
- Robustness: Annealed glass may be used if it meets the thickness-to-dimension limits specified in Diagram 5.2, such as 8mm glass for a maximum span of 1.10m.
- Permanent screen protection: Glazing does not need to comply with K4 if protected by a screen that prevents a 75mm sphere from making contact.
Requirement K5.2: Manifestation of glazing
In non-domestic buildings, large uninterrupted areas of transparent glazing must be made apparent to prevent collision.
- Manifestation levels: Markers must be provided at two levels: between 850mm to 1000mm and 1400mm to 1600mm above the floor.
- Visual contrast: Features must contrast visually with the background in all lighting conditions.
- Forms of manifestation: Logos or signs must be at least 150mm high; decorative features like broken lines must be at least 50mm high.
Requirement K6: Protection from trapping by doors
This requirement applies to non-dwellings to prevent hazards from door operation and trapping.
- Vision panels: Door leaves and side panels wider than 450mm must include vision panels to provide visibility on both sides.
- Power-operated doors: Must include safety features such as pressure-sensitive edges and identifiable stop switches.
- Access routes: Doors that swing out by more than 100mm into an access route must be protected by guarding or surfaces as shown in Diagram 10.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum allowable pitch for a private staircase in a dwelling?
According to Table 1.1, the maximum pitch for a private stair is 42 degrees.
When is a handrail required on both sides of a staircase?
For all buildings, a handrail must be provided on both sides if the stairs are 1000mm or wider.
What are the minimum and maximum rise dimensions for a general access stair?
For a general access stair, the minimum rise is 150mm and the maximum rise is 170mm.
Are alternating tread stairs allowed in new builds?
They are only permitted for loft conversions where there is insufficient space for a standard stair, and only to access a single habitable room.
At what height must glazing manifestation be placed in an office?
Manifestation is required at two levels: 850mm to 1000mm and 1400mm to 1600mm above the floor level.
What is the minimum headroom required for a staircase in a loft conversion?
Where 2m is unachievable, a reduced headroom of 1.9m at the center of the stair width is satisfactory, provided it is 1.8m at the edges.
What height must a vehicle barrier be at the edge of a ramp?
As shown in Diagram 4.2, a vehicle barrier at a ramp edge must be at least 610mm high.
Is guarding required for a single step in a dwelling?
No, Requirement K2 for dwellings requires guarding only when the fall height exceeds 600mm.
