Maintenance, Repair & Operations

Staying Safe on Stairs

Feb. 19, 2019

Three tips to help avoid stairway injuries

When it comes to stairways, familiarity breeds complacency. Perhaps, for example, you like to run up or down a stairway. What happens if you lift your foot just a little shy of high enough, and catch your shoe on the edge of a step? You suddenly pitch forward; you could be severely injured. If you walk up and down steps, you don’t have that strong forward momentum so correcting for a “foot catch” is easy.

Three tips to stay safe on stairs:

Avoid carrying objects that are bulky and/or heavy. These complicate your balance and can make it hard for you to see where you are placing your feet.
Where practical, use battery-powered power tools instead of corded tools. Doing so eliminates issues with routing, securing, and covering power cords.
If you do use corded tools, don’t run the cords across steps. Route them along the outside of the stairs or off to one side if it’s not an open stairway.

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.