Keep your stairwell well. More than 12,000 Americans die every year after falling down some stairs. Tens of thousands more receive injuries from falls.

You must keep your stairwells well-lit and maintained. Emergencies and falls can happen at any time.

Yet many people remain unaware of the requirements for public stairwell lighting. Here is a quick guide to those requirements, and what you can do to improve stairwell safety.

The Regulations for Stairwell Lighting

There is no official regulator for stairwell lighting in the United States, and several groups issue guidelines for safety lighting. The International Code Council is the group that most building owners refer to. The differences amongst guidelines are not substantial.

Under the ICC, walking surfaces must be illuminated to at least one footcandle at all times. Every step and landing must receive illumination at this level, if not higher.

There are only a few exceptions. Performance venues can dim their lighting to .2 footcandles. But they must raise the lighting immediately to 1 footcandle when an emergency occurs. Walking surfaces in new stairwells must be illuminated at 10 footcandles.

Illumination can be natural. Lights can be dimmed when no one is in the stairwell, but they must have automatic sensors that switch the lights on when someone enters. Light switches must be at both ends of the stairwell.

Emergency signage must be illuminated at 5 footcandles. Emergency lights should activate automatically during a power outage. They must remain on for at least ninety minutes.

Stairwell Safety

Stairwells can only be safe if their owner maintains them, and if people know how to use them.

If you do not own your building, you are not responsible for maintaining your stairwells and its lights. The owner of your building maintains the common areas, including stairwells. You may be responsible if your building contract specifies responsibilities for you.

Even if you have no official responsibilities, you should still help. Contact your building owner if the lighting breaks or fails to meet regulations. Clean up spills and remove debris that impedes access to the stairs.

Call your building owner if the stairwell needs repairs. Stairs wear down with use and require frequent renovations. Place a first aid kit in your stairwells.

Inspect your stairwell's hand railings. Make sure they are secured to the walls. Make sure you can grip them and guide yourself up and down the stairs with ease.

OSHA requires all businesses to have an Emergency Action Plan. You need to plan out all dangerous scenarios, including fires, chemical spills, and active shooter situations. Put your plans into writing and include a building map with stairwells marked.

Train your employees to evacuate the building. Tell them where all stairwells are. Schedule drills in which you walk down the stairs and leave the building.

Select energy-efficient lighting. Modern LED lights consume less energy than incandescent lights.

Remain Informed

As a business owner, you are responsible for the safety of your employees. That responsibility includes providing adequate stairwell lighting.

Study the regulations and select lights that exceed them. Train your employees to evacuate the building. Contact your building owner as soon as your stairwell needs repairs.

Stay informed about regulations and safety protocols. Read this guide on fire prevention training.