Last edit: 13/07/2023
EN ISO 14122-3, published at European level in June 2016 and adopted at Italian level in October 2016, replaces the previous EN ISO 14122-3:2010 standard and regulates machinery produced after its publication date. This standard provides the technical specifications to be followed in the construction of stairs, step ladders and ladders used as a means of permanent access to a machine; the specifications provided cannot be applied to motorized access systems, such as escalators and elevators.
For each means of access listed, the design and choice of materials must consider the conditions of use: design of the different components must comply with the ergonomics tables (ISO 15534 Part 1 and Part 3) and shall prevent the risk of falling objects in presence of guard-rails and gates.
The standard also provides a series of mandatory tests for the resistance of the steps [14122-3:2016 – § 4.2.1].
1. Test for foreseeable imposed loads: the step must resist to distributed loads of 1.5kN/m2 for conditions of low-density pedestrian traffic without load, or 5kN/m2 for condition of low-density pedestrian traffic with load or high-density pedestrian traffic.
2. Test for minimum unfactored loadings: the test is carried out with one or two loads, depending on the width of the step, of 1,5kN applied to 100×100 mm wide areas, located at the point with the greatest risk of failure.
During these tests, the deflection of the loaded area shall be less than 1/300o the width of the step, and shall never exceed 6 mm. The standard specifies that the load values given are minimum values and that they should be adjusted and, where appropriate, increased according to the forecasted use.