Compliance is not the most exciting subject – in fact, at times it can be a real headache and can cause a feeling of overwhelm with all the paperwork, rules & regulations. But it is a necessity, and for good reason.
The design and construction of handrails and balustrades is a crucial issue that may expose an architect, designer, specifier, builder, and/or contractor to expensive litigation if poorly thought out, executed, and especially if failure occurs. More significantly, there is a serious emotional and financial cost associated with injury, permanent disability, or death should this design element be overlooked.
Working with Moddex means you can rely on us to take the complexity out of handrail compliance and be a strong partner, by your side when you need us.
We know compliance is non-negotiable and that specification plays a critical role in shaping construction outcomes. That’s why we do everything we can to support you in confident decision making.
Building code and standards
The two sections of the building code that relate to handrail and barrier design are:
- Acceptable Solution D1/AS1 – Access Routes; and
- F4 Safety from Falling.
The following building standards are also referred to for Building Code compliance:
- NZS4121:2001 – for the design of buildings and facilities to ensure they are accessible and fully usable for people who have disabilities; and
- NZS 1657:1992 – for the design requirements of mezzanines, stairways, walkways, and service platforms to supply safe access to places used by operating, inspection, maintenance, and service personnel.
Roads – walking and cycling paths
Austroads Guide to Road Design covers the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of the road network in Australia and New Zealand. More specifically, the NZTA Bridge Manual B6.4 is the reference document that should be used for designing pedestrian barriers for road safety in New Zealand. It supplies guidance on the design of pedestrian handrails for safe and efficient walking and cycling within and outside the road corridor.
Our Ultimate Guide to Handrail and Balustrade Compliance walks you through each code and standard and supplies simple answers to the question “When is a handrail required†and steps out the requirements in straightforward terms.
Moddex products are fully compliant  
Moddex has been supporting the finest designs in New Zealand for over a decade, creating solutions to design problems that are fit-for-purpose compliant, and aesthetically right, so that Everything Fits.
You can rest assured that all Moddex components and installations are fully compliant with Australian and New Zealand standards. We are experts in our field and are happy to share product engineering data and test results with you.
Every system has undergone rigorous testing to meet the New Zealand Compliance Standards which means we are able to provide you with readily available PS1’s for our systems.
Helpful Specification Resources
Complying with the standards means staying on top of regulatory updates while keeping projects on time and budget. Moddex has a vast number of resources available to ensure your project stays in compliance:
The Moddex BIM library also includes an all-in-one Revit ‘Virtual Showroom’ for efficient library access, browsing and QA.
Let’s talk about how we can support you further!
We’re here to give you certainty with product quality and reliability, pricing, compliance and supply. We’re also here to support your achievement of design and specification goals, with all the experience and capability we can offer your project — whether you need a quote, technical advice, tender support or help with a design challenge, get in touch with us today – we’d love to hear from you.
To get started download the Ultimate Guide to Handrail and Balustrade Compliance by clicking the link below
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