General Requirements, Stairways

Employers shall ensure the size of stairway landings or platforms is not less than the stair width, and not less than 30-inches in depth, as measured in the direction of travel.
Additionally, employers ensure individual stairs can support at least five-times the normal anticipated live load, and never less than a concentrated load of 1,000 pounds, applied at any point on the stairway.

Standard Stairs

Employers must install standard stairs, at angles between 30 and 50 degrees from the horizontal.
Requires that employers ensure standard stairs have a MAXIMUM riser height and MINIMUM tread depth of 9.5-inches, with an exception for stairs installed prior to January 17, 2017
Employers must ensure standard stairs have a minimum width of 22-inches between vertical barriers, such as stair rails, guardrails or walls.

VERY INTERESTING… ANGLES RECOMMENDED- for Ramps, Standard Stairs, Alternating Tread-Type Stairs or Ship Stairs, or Ladders.

How to determine what type of device should be used, is based on the slope to the higher level, a worker is needing access to:

≤ to 30 0 Ramps

30 0 to 50 0 Standard Stairs

50 0 to 70 0 Ship Stairs or Alternating Tread-Type Stairs

60 0 to 90 0 Ladders

Tell me MORE about RAMPS – the 2018 International Building Code, Section 1010 – addresses ramps as follows:

Ramps surfaces must be stable, firm, and slip resistant.
Exposed exterior ramps and their approaches are to be constructed to prevent the accumulation of water on walking surfaces.
Ramps as a part of egress (exiting) can only have a maximum slope of 1:12.
The maximum rise for any run is 30-inches (then there has to be a landing, before an additional ramp is added, if required).