Stairway for Use on Building Sites

Abstract

The invention is a portable, modular stairway unit for use on a building site during construction of a multistorey building, the stairway unit including: a stair run section with a plurality of rise-separated stair treads, the stair run section having an upper and a lower end; an upper landing connected to the stair run section at, or at a distance from, the upper end of the stair run section; a lower landing connected to the stair run section at, or at a distance from, the lower end of the stair run section; wherein each of the landings have portions that extend laterally beyond a width of the stair run section, the landings being devised to extend inwardly into respective upper and lower storey levels of the building when the stairway unit is situated adjacent to a face of the building; and anchoring means arranged to removeably secure the landings, in use, at the upper and lower storey levels thereby to provide a double-cantilevered mounting of the stair run section extending between the two building storey levels.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to stairs, in particular to stairways suitable for temporary erection and use on a building site during construction of a building.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Temporary stairways are often required on building sites during construction of a multistorey building to allow construction workers to move from one storey of the building to another.[0003]Whilst permanent stairways are often formed at the same time as the floor slabs of the storeys, making the rough (eg concrete cast) stairways safe for use by workmen requires additional onsite construction, ie installation of security items such as handrails, anti-slip stair tread surfaces, and similar. More importantly, the stairwells of permanent stairways are often located within the building or at one end thereof, such that during construction work, when workers are working at different locations within the building, additional travel time is required to access the stairways...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a portable, modular stairway unit for use on building sites during construction of a multistorey building. The stairway unit includes a stair run section with a plurality of rise-separated stair treads, an upper landing, and a lower landing. The landings have portions that extend laterally beyond the stair run section, and are secured to the stair run section using anchoring means. The landings can be pivoted or fixed in a desired position along the stair run section. The stairway unit allows for cost savings and efficient erection time, as it can be positioned as a pre-assembled unit at an outside location adjacent to the building face, and secured in place. The stairway unit can be adjusted to accommodate different storey levels, and can be easily moved and secured in new locations. The invention also provides a stair run section with a plurality of treads, the incline of which can be selectively varied and fixed, and the landings can be secured using adjustable-height props or conventional fasteners such as bolts."

Problems solved by technology

More importantly, the stairwells of permanent stairways are often located within the building or at one end thereof, such that during construction work, when workers are working at different locations within the building, additional travel time is required to access the stairways.

This inconvenience is exacerbated if materials are also required to be transported between building levels, as several trips from distant locations might be required.

Whilst portable stairway assemblies that are incorporated into scaffolding have found increasing use in the building sector, the disadvantage of such scaffolding stairway structures is that they require the presence of an external scaffold, and incorporation of numerous additional structural components, in particular to secure the modular step-ladder sections onto the scaffolding for example.

Another problem that exists with such types of modular / portable stairways is that they lack floor-height adjustability, ie they are designed for a discrete storey height between the floor levels of a lower and adjacent upper storey.

Images