Egress staircases. Code-required exit stairs that pass review.
When a building's occupancy, second-floor area, or use changes, the Ontario Building Code dictates a compliant means of egress. We design, fabricate, and install the stair side of that — to width, rise, run, landing, and guard requirements that an inspector won't push back on.
OBC Part 3.4 — Means of Egress.
"Egress" in OBC 2024 means the part of the building that lets occupants leave under load, including under fire conditions. The stair is one segment of that path; it has to be sized for the occupant load it serves, separated from the rest of the building per the fire-resistance rating, and built to specific tread, riser, landing, and headroom dimensions. A stair that meets §3.4 is an egress stair. A stair that doesn't isn't — and a building with a non-compliant exit stair fails the inspection.
When you need one
- Adding a mezzanine — the platform's occupant load determines the egress count and width. Most warehouse mezzanines need at least one stamped egress stair down to grade.
- Second-floor expansion — converting overhead space to occupied floor area triggers a fresh egress calculation.
- Change of use — moving from storage (Group F) to assembly or production changes the occupancy classification, the occupant load, and often the egress requirements.
- Code-review retrofit — older industrial buildings with grandfathered stairs sometimes lose that protection at the next major permit. The fix is a compliant replacement.
Configurations we build
- Switchback (scissor) stairs — most space-efficient interior egress; two flights with an intermediate landing.
- Straight-run stairs — single flight, used where the floor-to-floor height permits and the landing space is short.
- Exterior egress towers — galvanized stair towers attached to the building when interior capacity is insufficient. See fire escape stairs for the retrofit-specific variant.
- Mezzanine-to-grade exits — egress dedicated to a single platform's occupant load.
Typical parameters
- Clear width1100 mm typical (calculated from occupant load)
- Rise / runflights ≤ 16 risers
- Headroom2050 mm minimum
- Landingat top, bottom, and between flights
- Guard height42" (OBC §3.3.1.18)
- Live load4.8 kPa + 1.3 kN concentrated
- Tread surfacegrip-strut / bar-grate / checker-plate
- Finishshop primer / galvanized / powder-coat
- Lead time3 – 6 weeks from sign-off
- Stamped drawingsincluded
- All steel stairs & industrial stair systems
- Fire escape stairs — exterior retrofit egress
- Outdoor steel stairs — galvanized exterior access