Handrails on Stairways
Handrails give people who are blind, vision impaired, or living with a mobility or intellectual disability steadiness and guidance on stairs. Two handrails are required for a stairway to be genuinely accessible.
The BCA sets this out at D2.17 and D3.3(c), pointing to AS 1428.1 for the technical detail: clearance, location and diameter.
Getting it right
A compliant handrail needs a 270° clear arc along its full length, ends that either return to the wall or turn 180° downward, and an extension at the bottom of the flight, one tread depth beyond the last riser, then 300mm minimum horizontally. Diameter sits between 30–50mm. The most common failures we see are missing end returns, tight clearances, and no extension at the bottom of the stair.