The use of steps and stairs by pedestrian traffic is thought to pose a greater risk to pedestrian safety than walking on level ground, as the consequences of a slip or fall are likely to be far more serious. Workplace accidents involving slips, trips or falls on stairs reported to HSE are not classified as stair accidents, due to a limited number of ‘Kind of Accident’ categories currently in use. Stair accidents cannot be classified as ‘Slips, trips and Falls on the Same Level’, and so are generally grouped within the ‘Falls from a Height’ category. Recent HSE statistics show that ‘Falls from a Height’ were the largest cause of fatal injuries and the second highest cause of non-fatal major injuries in 1998/99 (provisional figures). Recent ‘non-workplace’ statistics for injuries in the home suggest that the annual number of stair accidents in the UK is roughly equivalent tothe number of slips, trips and falls on the same level (both ~250,000) (indeeed, recent statistics (The Architects Journal, 22.6.00, source: DTI) show that around 1000 pedestrians are killed through domestic stair accidents in the UK per annum). It is therefore reasonable to suggest that stair accidents account for a large proportion of the ‘Falls from a Height’ accidents reported to HSE. HSE’s understanding of workplace slips and trips is growing, but very little is currently known about the risks associated with staircase use, the assessment of the associated risks, and means of stair accident prevention.