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Introduction

Slips, trips and falls cost Australian businesses over $1.2 billion per year in workers' compensation claims, according to Safe Work Australia. That figure alone should stop any facility manager or property owner in their tracks. But here's what makes it worse: a significant portion of those incidents happen on staircases, surfaces that carry daily foot traffic, face constant wear, and are often overlooked in routine safety audits.

Understanding staircase safety compliance in Victoria comparison Australia is not a one-size-fits-all exercise. The standards, obligations, and enforcement approaches vary depending on your surface type, building classification, and the jurisdiction you operate in. This article breaks all of it down, what the law requires, how compliance is assessed, what happens when you fall short, and exactly what steps you need to take to protect your property, your people, and your business.

Whether you've just received a failed slip test report or a building certifier has flagged your stairs before sign-off, this guide gives you the complete picture.

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Understanding Staircase Safety Compliance in Victoria

Definition and Scope in Australian Context

Staircase safety compliance refers to the legal and technical requirements that govern how stair surfaces must perform to protect people from slip-related injury. In Australia, compliance is assessed against a framework of national standards, building codes, and work health and safety legislation, all of which apply simultaneously and can interact in ways that catch property owners off guard.

Understanding staircase safety compliance in Victoria comparison Australia means recognising that while the National Construction Code (NCC) sets a national baseline, state-level regulators like WorkSafe Victoria enforce WHS obligations independently. A staircase that meets structural design requirements under the NCC may still fail a slip resistance test under AS4663, and that alone can trigger a compliance breach.

The scope covers all commercial, public, and multi-occupancy residential buildings, shopping centres, office towers, aged care facilities, schools, strata complexes, and hospitality venues. If people use your stairs and something goes wrong, the compliance framework applies to you.

Why It Matters for Commercial Property

Safe Work Australia reports that falls on the same level are the second most common mechanism of workplace injury in Australia. Staircases compound that risk because they combine elevation change with foot traffic, wet conditions, and surface wear, often on tiles or stone that were never tested for real-world slip resistance.

For commercial property owners and facility managers, the consequences of non-compliance run well beyond a fine. A single WorkCover claim can cost tens of thousands of dollars in direct costs before you factor in legal fees, rehabilitation, increased premiums, and reputational damage. The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) and WorkSafe Victoria both have enforcement powers that can result in improvement notices, prohibition orders, and forced closures.

When you understand what staircase compliance actually requires, and how it's assessed, you can stop reacting to incidents and start managing risk proactively.

Common Misconceptions

The most dangerous misconception is that structural compliance equals slip compliance. It doesn't. Your staircase can have the correct riser heights and tread depths per NCC requirements and still present an unacceptable slip hazard if the surface has worn smooth over time.

A second misconception is that AS4586, the standard most commonly cited in product specifications, is the same as the test used to assess your installed surface. It isn't. AS4586 is a laboratory classification applied to new materials by manufacturers. AS4663 is the in-situ test performed on your actual installed surface by a NATA-accredited assessor. A product being "AS4586 compliant" tells you nothing about whether your installed staircase currently meets the required P-rating.

Third: many facility managers assume that a previous treatment means they're covered. If you've had your stairs treated in the past but never received a NATA-accredited retest and certificate, you cannot demonstrate compliance.

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How Understanding Staircase Safety Compliance in Victoria Comparison Australia Works in Australia

The Australian Standards Framework (AS4586, NCC)

Think of staircase slip compliance like a tyre grip rating. The manufacturer's rating tells you what the tyre can do when it's new and correctly inflated, but after years of wear, heat, and use, the real-world grip is a different story entirely. AS4586 is the manufacturer's rating. AS4663 is the roadside tread depth check.

AS4586 classifies surface slip resistance in controlled laboratory conditions. It generates a P-rating (Pendulum rating) from P1 to P5, where P5 is the highest grip level. This classification is used by architects and specifiers when selecting materials for new builds. AS4663 is the on-site test that measures how your installed surface performs right now, accounting for wear, cleaning products, surface contamination history, and real-world conditions. It uses water as the test medium, applied under a standardised NATA protocol. This is the test that matters for compliance. For a full breakdown of how both standards interact and what they mean for your building, see our guide to AS4586 and AS4663 compliance in Australia.

The National Construction Code references these standards and mandates minimum P-ratings for different staircase contexts. For most commercial stair treads, P4 or P5 is required depending on exposure to wet conditions. WorkSafe Victoria's compliance inspections reference the same benchmarks.

How Compliance Is Assessed

A NATA-accredited assessor visits your property and performs an AS4663 pendulum test on the stair surfaces in question. The pendulum device simulates a heel-strike on the surface with water applied, and generates a British Pendulum Number (BPN) that translates to a P-rating.

Pro Tip: Always confirm your assessor is NATA-accredited specifically for slip resistance testing. A general OH&S consultant performing a visual inspection is not a substitute for a NATA-accredited AS4663 test, and will not produce a certificate that satisfies a building certifier or WorkSafe inspector.

The result tells you exactly where you stand. A P2 result on a commercial staircase, a common trigger for the calls Stellmann receives, means you have a documented slip hazard and a legal obligation to remediate it.

What a Compliant Surface Looks Like in Practice

A compliant staircase surface isn't rough or visually unappealing. In fact, the most common surfaces that fail AS4663 tests are polished tiles, marble, and terrazzo, surfaces that look pristine but offer almost no grip when wet.

A compliant surface achieves the required P-rating without compromising the aesthetic of the space. Professional anti-slip coating treatments achieve this by modifying the surface at a microscopic level, creating grip without visible texture change. After treatment, the surface looks identical but performs to the required standard, confirmed by NATA-accredited retest.

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Benefits of Achieving Understanding Staircase Safety Compliance in Victoria Comparison Australia

Reduced Legal and Insurance Liability

Compliance creates a documented defence. If an incident does occur on your staircase after you've obtained a certificate of compliance, you can demonstrate that you identified the risk, took remediation action, and had the result verified by a NATA-accredited assessor. That "reasonable steps" defence is significant in WorkCover and public liability claims.

Without it, a single slip-and-fall claim on a commercial staircase can result in damages, legal costs, and premium increases that dwarf the cost of treatment. The mathematics are straightforward, a full staircase treatment with NATA-accredited certification typically costs a fraction of one defended claim.

Operational Continuity, No Forced Closures

WorkSafe Victoria has the power to issue prohibition notices that immediately stop work or close areas of a premises. If a staircase is the primary access route and it's prohibited, the disruption to your business is immediate and significant.

Stellmann's water-based, food-safe formula is applied without closure of the staircase or the premises in most cases, meaning you achieve compliance without trading disruption. Compare that to full tile replacement, which typically requires scaffolding, extended closure, and weeks of construction.

Staff and Visitor Confidence

There's a less-quantified but very real benefit here. When your team watches an incident happen on a staircase, or when one of their colleagues lodges a WorkCover claim, foot traffic on those stairs slows down. People carry things differently. Confidence in the building drops.

Remediation that produces a visible improvement in surface grip, backed by a compliance certificate, communicates that you took the problem seriously. That matters for staff retention, for tenants, and for visitors who make split-second judgements about how well a property is managed.

Regulatory Peace of Mind

If SafeWork is coming back in two weeks, or a building certifier won't sign off until you fix the stairs, or a tenant is waiting on an occupation certificate, compliance is non-negotiable. Understanding staircase safety compliance in Victoria comparison Australia means knowing that you cannot self-certify. You need the certificate.

NATA-accredited testing post-treatment provides exactly that, a defensible, documented record that your surface meets the required P-rating. Stellmann issues the certificate the same day as the retest.

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Legal Obligations and Consequences

Your Duty of Care Under the WHS Act

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011, adopted in Victoria and harmonised across most Australian states, places a primary duty of care on persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers and others are not exposed to health and safety risks.

Staircases fall squarely within this obligation. If you manage, lease, or own a commercial property with staircases used by workers or the public, you have an affirmative duty to identify slip hazards and control them. Ignorance of a hazard is not a defence, the duty includes identifying risks through regular inspection and testing.

The Victorian Building Authority separately enforces compliance with building regulations, including surface safety requirements in the NCC. These obligations run in parallel, you can face action from both.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

The WHS Act prescribes penalties that most people don't realise are on the table. For a Category 1 offence (reckless conduct causing serious harm), corporations can face fines of up to $3.45 million. For Category 2 offences (failure of duty that exposes a person to risk of serious harm), the maximum corporate penalty is $1.725 million.

Note: These are maximum penalties. But even improvement notices, enforceable undertakings, and prosecution costs associated with lower-level breaches can run to six figures when legal representation and compliance remediation are factored in.

WorkSafe Victoria issued over 16,000 improvement notices and infringement notices in the 2022–23 period. Slip hazards, including on staircase surfaces, are a documented inspection focus.

Who Is Liable, Owner, Manager, or Both?

This is one of the most common questions Stellmann's clients ask: "If I'm the property manager, not the owner, is it my problem?"

Under the WHS Act, multiple duty holders can be liable simultaneously. A building owner who leases to a tenant retains obligations relating to the premises itself, including staircase surfaces. A property manager who controls how the building is maintained can also hold duties. A tenant who directs workers to use an unsafe staircase holds duties in relation to those workers.

The practical answer: if you have any control over the staircase, whether as owner, manager, or operator, you have a duty. If an incident occurs, expect investigators to look at every party in the chain.

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How to Achieve Understanding Staircase Safety Compliance in Victoria Comparison Australia: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Get a Professional Slip Resistance Test (AS4663)

What to do: Engage a NATA-accredited assessor to perform an AS4663 pendulum test on your staircase treads and landings. Why it matters: Without a current test result, you have no baseline. You cannot remediate what you haven't measured, and you cannot demonstrate compliance without a documented test result. Common mistake: Accepting a visual inspection or a certificate that doesn't specify AS4663 NATA-accredited testing. These do not satisfy building certifiers or WorkSafe inspectors. Expected outcome: A written report showing the BPN result and corresponding P-rating for each test location on your staircase. If you operate a hospitality venue, our guide to slip resistance testing in restaurants covers the specific requirements for commercial kitchen and dining surfaces.

Step 2: Understand Your P-Rating Result

What to do: Review the report with your assessor. For most commercial stair treads in Victoria, you need a minimum of P4 (BPN 45–54). Wet areas or high-traffic public stairs may require P5. Why it matters: P-ratings are not interchangeable. A P3 result on a commercial staircase is non-compliant regardless of how clean or new the surface looks. Common mistake: Assuming a P3 is "close enough" or that minor cleaning will bridge the gap. It won't. Surface preparation and treatment are required. Expected outcome: A clear understanding of the gap between your current result and the required standard.

Step 3: Choose the Right Remediation Solution

What to do: Based on your surface type, traffic volume, and aesthetic requirements, select the appropriate remediation method. For most commercial staircase surfaces, tiles, marble, terrazzo, polished concrete, professional anti-slip coating is the appropriate first response. Why it matters: The wrong solution either won't achieve the required P-rating or won't hold it. Anti-slip tape, for example, creates compliance risk at its edges and is not accepted as a permanent remediation measure by most certifiers. Common mistake: Choosing a solution based on lowest upfront cost without accounting for durability or certifiability. Expected outcome: A remediation plan matched to your surface type, compliance requirement, and operational constraints.

Step 4: Commission Compliant Treatment

What to do: Engage a certified installer to apply the appropriate treatment to your staircase surfaces. For Stellmann treatments, this involves application of the CSIRO-tested formula to existing tiles or stone, no replacement, no heavy construction. Why it matters: The treatment itself must be applied by a trained installer using a compliant product to ensure the result can be verified by independent NATA-accredited testing. Common mistake: Using a product described as "AS4586 compliant" without understanding that this refers to the manufacturer's lab classification, not your installed surface outcome. Expected outcome: Treated staircase surfaces ready for NATA-accredited retest within the agreed timeframe.

Step 5: Get Your Compliance Certificate

What to do: After treatment, a NATA-accredited assessor retests the surface under AS4663 protocol. If the required P-rating is achieved, a certificate of compliance is issued. Why it matters: The certificate is the document your building certifier, SafeWork inspector, insurer, or tenant is asking for. Without it, the treatment is unverifiable. Common mistake: Accepting a supplier's internal test or a "before and after" report that isn't NATA-accredited. These are not equivalent. Expected outcome: A NATA-accredited certificate of compliance, issued same day as the retest, confirming the P-rating achieved on each tested location.

Step 6: Set Up a Maintenance Schedule

What to do: Establish a documented maintenance and inspection schedule for your staircase surfaces. This includes regular cleaning with pH-neutral products, periodic visual inspections, and retesting at intervals appropriate to foot traffic and surface type. Why it matters: Slip resistance can degrade over time with wear and cleaning product build-up. A single certificate doesn't protect you permanently, ongoing maintenance sustains the compliance position. Common mistake: Filing the certificate and assuming the job is done indefinitely. Insurers and WorkSafe both look for evidence of ongoing management, not just one-off remediation. Expected outcome: A documented maintenance plan that demonstrates continuing due diligence.

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Solutions for Understanding Staircase Safety Compliance in Victoria Comparison Australia: Options Compared

Solution	Best For	Pros	Cons	Approximate Cost (staircase)	Compliance Outcome
Anti-slip coating (Stellmann)	Most commercial staircases, tile, marble, terrazzo, polished concrete	No replacement, no closure, NATA-certifiable, food safe	Requires certified installer	$700–$2,550 for 20–30 sqm	Achieves P4/P5, certificate issued
Acid etching	Concrete and tile surfaces only	Low upfront cost	Wears off in 3–6 months, inconsistent results, not food safe, unsuitable for smooth or glazed tiles	$400–$1,200	Unreliable long-term; rarely holds P-rating
Anti-slip tape/strips	Emergency temporary measure only	Immediate, no tools required	Trip hazard at edges, degrades quickly, not accepted as permanent compliance solution	$100–$500	Not accepted for certification
Full tile replacement	Surfaces beyond remediation	Total redesign possible	Significant cost, extended closure, construction disruption	$5,000–$30,000+	Compliant if correct tiles specified

Anti-Slip Coating Treatment, Best for Most Commercial Properties

Stellmann's professional anti-slip coating treatment is applied to your existing staircase surface, tiles, marble, terrazzo, polished concrete, or vinyl, without replacement or construction works. The CSIRO-tested formula modifies the surface at a microscopic level, dramatically improving grip without altering appearance.

A single staircase landing of 3–5 sqm typically costs $150–$425. A full commercial staircase of 20–30 sqm typically costs $700–$2,550. Treatment is completed without closing the staircase in most cases, and the NATA-accredited retest and certificate are issued the same day.

For facility managers who've just received a failed slip test and need a certifiable result before a certifier or SafeWork visit, this is the fastest compliant pathway.

Acid Etching, Limited Durability, Not Recommended for Compliance

Acid etching physically roughens a concrete or unglazed surface. It can improve slip resistance initially, but the effect degrades within months under normal foot traffic and cleaning. It is not suitable for glazed tiles, marble, or polished surfaces, which are precisely the surfaces most likely to fail an AS4663 test.

Some operators have been quoted acid etching solutions as "compliant" based on an initial post-treatment test result. The result won't hold. Twelve months later, a retest typically shows regression to the original P-rating or below.

Anti-Slip Tape and Strips, Temporary Solution Only

Anti-slip tape is a short-term emergency measure. It creates a trip hazard at its edges as it lifts and peels, and it is not accepted as a permanent remediation measure by building certifiers or WorkSafe. If a staircase has anti-slip tape on it when a compliance inspector arrives, that's not evidence of compliance, it's evidence that a hazard was identified and inadequately addressed.

Full Tile Replacement, When Nothing Else Will Work

If a surface is physically damaged, structurally compromised, or the existing tiles are classified below the minimum required P-rating even when new, full replacement may be necessary. It's the most disruptive and expensive option, typically requiring extended closure, scaffolding, and building works. For most commercial staircases where the surface is intact, anti-slip coating treatment achieves compliance faster and at a fraction of the cost.

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Costs and Timeline: What to Expect

Professional Slip Testing Costs

A NATA-accredited AS4663 slip resistance test for a commercial staircase typically costs $300–$600 for an initial assessment, depending on the number of test locations and travel requirements. This produces the written report you need to understand your compliance position.

Pro Tip: Some operators try to skip the pre-treatment test and move straight to remediation. Don't. Without a baseline result, you can't demonstrate what the surface was before treatment, which matters if there's a claim relating to the period before remediation.

Treatment and Remediation Costs

For commercial staircase surfaces treated with professional anti-slip coating:

• 5–30 sqm: $700–$2,550
• Post-treatment NATA-accredited retest and certificate: included with Stellmann treatment packages via Certified Installer Network

Timeline from booking to certificate: typically 1–3 business days for most commercial staircase treatments, depending on surface preparation requirements and drying time.

Compare this to full tile replacement, which can run to $5,000–$30,000+ and take 2–6 weeks, during which the staircase may be unusable.

The Real Cost of Non-Compliance

A WorkCover claim for a slip-and-fall injury on a staircase can result in medical costs, income replacement, rehabilitation, and common law damages that collectively reach six figures. Add legal fees, insurer premium increases, and potential regulatory fines, and the cost of non-compliance is orders of magnitude higher than the cost of treatment.

The $700–$2,550 investment to treat a commercial staircase and obtain a NATA-accredited compliance certificate is not a cost. It's risk mitigation with a measurable return.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Assuming a Previous Treatment Means You're Still Compliant

"We already had it treated, why do we need it redone?" This is one of the most common conversations Stellmann has with new clients. Anti-slip treatments, particularly acid etching and lower-grade coatings, degrade over time. If your treatment is more than a few years old and you don't have a recent NATA-accredited test confirming the current P-rating, you don't have documented compliance. You have a historical treatment and an assumption.

Accepting a Product Claim as a Compliance Certificate

When a supplier says their product is "AS4586 compliant," they're describing the manufacturer's laboratory classification of the product, not the P-rating of your installed surface. The certificate you need is an AS4663 NATA-accredited in-situ test result issued after treatment. These are completely different documents. A building certifier or SafeWork inspector will know the difference immediately.

Leaving It Too Late

If SafeWork has scheduled a return visit in two weeks, or a tenant needs an occupation certificate, or a building certifier has flagged the stairs, time is the constraint. The most common regret Stellmann hears: "We knew there was an issue but assumed we had more time."

Professional anti-slip coating treatment can be booked, applied, retested, and certified within a few business days in most cases. Don't let timeline pressure drive you toward inadequate solutions (tape, DIY products, visual inspections) that won't produce a certifiable result.

Confusing Slip Resistance with Structural Compliance

Riser heights, tread depths, balustrade heights, these are structural requirements under the NCC and are assessed by a building surveyor. Slip resistance is a separate requirement assessed by a NATA-accredited assessor under AS4663. Both must be satisfied. A building certifier can pass your stairs structurally and still require a slip resistance certificate before issuing an occupation certificate.

Ignoring Stair Nosing Colour Contrast Requirements (AS 1428.1)

This is the requirement that catches the most facility managers completely off guard. AS 1428.1, the Australian Standard for design for access and mobility, requires a minimum 30% luminance reflectance value (LRV) difference between a stair nosing and the adjacent tread surface.

This is entirely separate from slip resistance. A staircase can achieve P5 slip resistance and still be non-compliant if the nosings don't provide sufficient visual contrast for people with low vision. The VBA and building certifiers increasingly check this during occupation certificate assessments.

Pro Tip: When you commission a staircase compliance review, ask your assessor to check LRV contrast on nosings at the same time. Fixing a slip resistance failure and then being told to retrofit contrasting nosings is an avoidable double-up.

Using Anti-Slip Tape as a Remediation Strategy

Tape is not remediation. It is a temporary risk control measure at best. If anti-slip tape is present on your stairs when a WorkSafe inspector arrives, it signals that you identified a hazard. If you can't demonstrate that a permanent compliant solution is in place or in progress, the inspector will view the tape as evidence of an unresolved hazard, not a solution.

Skipping the Maintenance Schedule

Obtaining a compliance certificate is the beginning of an ongoing obligation, not the end of one. Surface wear, cleaning product build-up, and foot traffic all affect slip resistance over time. A documented maintenance schedule, and periodic retesting at appropriate intervals, is what transforms a one-off certificate into a defensible compliance program.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What P-Rating Do I Need for My Commercial Property?

For most commercial staircase treads in Victoria and across Australia, the minimum requirement is P4 (BPN 45–54) under wet conditions. High-traffic public areas, wet zones, and external stairs may require P5 (BPN 55+).

The NCC and WorkSafe Victoria both reference these benchmarks, and building certifiers use them as the basis for occupation certificate assessments. If your staircase is currently rated P2 or P3, you have a documented gap that requires remediation, not monitoring.

Note: P-rating requirements can vary depending on the specific building classification and use. A NATA-accredited assessor can advise on the specific requirement for your property.

How Long Does an Anti-Slip Treatment Last?

A professionally applied, CSIRO-tested anti-slip coating treatment typically provides compliant slip resistance for 3–7 years under normal commercial use, depending on foot traffic volume, cleaning regime, and surface type.

The key factor is maintenance. pH-neutral cleaning products preserve the treatment's effectiveness. Harsh alkaline or acidic cleaners can degrade any slip-resistant surface over time. Stellmann's Certified Installers provide maintenance guidelines at the time of treatment to maximise longevity.

Annual visual inspection and periodic retesting, typically every 2–3 years for high-traffic commercial stairs, maintains your documented compliance position.

Do I Need to Replace My Tiles to Become Compliant?

In the vast majority of cases, no. If your staircase tiles or stone are structurally intact, a professional anti-slip coating treatment achieves the required P-rating without replacement.

This is the question at the heart of most commercial staircase compliance conversations. A marble staircase in a heritage building, a polished terrazzo staircase in a residential tower, or a glazed tile staircase in a shopping centre, all can achieve P4 or P5 compliance with Stellmann's treatment, verified by NATA-accredited retest.

Full tile replacement is necessary only when the surface itself is damaged, or when the tiles are classified below minimum P-rating even when new. For most commercial properties, coating treatment is faster, cheaper, and equally certifiable.

How Quickly Do I Need to Act After a Failed Slip Test?

Immediately. A failed AS4663 test is a documented record that your staircase presents a slip hazard at a known P-rating. From the moment that report is issued, you have formal evidence of a risk, and the WHS Act requires you to act on known risks without undue delay.

If a staircase is in active use and has returned a failed test result, the question of "how quickly" is not just a legal one, it's a safety one. Remediation should be booked within days, not weeks.

From a practical standpoint: if SafeWork Victoria becomes aware of a failed test (through a complaint, an incident, or an audit), the fact that you had a report and took no action is an aggravating factor in any enforcement proceeding. The fastest safe harbour is documented remediation followed by a NATA-accredited certificate of compliance.

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Conclusion

Understanding staircase safety compliance in Victoria comparison Australia comes down to four things: knowing what the law requires, testing your actual installed surface, remediating with a certified solution, and documenting it properly.

Key takeaways:

• AS4663 is the test that counts, not AS4586, not a visual inspection, not a supplier's product claim.
• P4 is the minimum for most commercial staircase treads, a P2 or P3 result requires action, not monitoring.
• Professional anti-slip coating is the fastest compliant pathway for most commercial properties, typically completed and certified within 1–3 business days.
• AS 1428.1 nosing contrast is a separate requirement, check it at the same time as slip resistance.

If you've received a failed slip test, have a building certifier waiting, or simply want to be able to say "yes" if an inspector walked in tomorrow, Stellmann can help. Our Certified Installer Network operates nationally, and every treatment comes with a NATA-accredited retest and certificate issued same day.

Don't wait for a WorkCover claim to land on your desk. Contact Stellmann at stellmann.com.au to book a consultation or arrange a professional slip resistance assessment for your staircase today.

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Sources: Safe Work Australia, Workplace Health and Safety Statistics; Victorian Building Authority; WorkSafe Victoria; National Construction Code (NCC); AS4586:2013; AS4663:2013; AS 1428.1:2009.

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