BCAB #1065 - Guard for Exterior Deck, Article 9.8.8.1.

May 10, 1989

BCAB #1065

Re: Guard for Exterior Deck, Article 9.8.8.1.

With reference to your letter of April 18, 1989 regarding a guard to an exterior deck.

From the information submitted we are unable to agree that a 12 in. high planter can be equated to the guard required under Article 9.8.8.1. While we appreciate that children will not be permitted access to the deck, this is not relevant to the issue. The height requirement in the Code provides protection at a level above the pivot point of the average human body, so the height is critical, and we would regard the planter as more of a hazard than an equivalent. With respect to children, there is already a design tolerance included in Article 9.8.8.7. to provide for such a situation.

J.C. Currie, Chair