Petition Safety on public Stairs

Slips, trips and falls are particularly dangerous on stairs. There has been much published on stair safety and “hold the handrail” is a common workplace instruction. One frequent omission which is necessary to ensure that a handrail is available is the “Walk as you drive” orderly use of stairs. This aligns with footway safety etiquette which keeps pedestrians with their back to the traffic away from the kerb (Highway Code para 1).

I propose that H.M. Government supports and encourages a “Walk as you drive” initiative to improve safety on workplace, school and public stairways. I believe it is better than the “free for all” (every man for himself) approach.

I propose that any documents which make recommendations on stair safety for the UK, include the phrase “keep left”.