When it comes to installing your balustrade, it is easy to take your contractors word as bible – especially if you are not familiar with SANS building regulations. We recently investigated an installation that did not comply with two very important South African National Standards in regards to balustrades. With any balustrade installation, it is required by law that your balustrade system complies with SANS 10400 and SANS 10160 as set out the by South African National Standards. These standards are put in place to ensure the structural integrity of your installation, and to ensure that it has optimal safety for those who use it. SANS 10160 specifically focuses on the “load” that the balustrade will be able to handle by performing a number of tests on the installation. As a home owner it can be tempting to work with a cheaper balustrade solution; however we strongly advise against doing this. Read our article here on “Cheap versus SANS compliant quality” installations to better understand why it is important to work with SANS compliant and quality products. Poor design and installation can be very dangerous in your building, especially when being used by elderly people, or if there are small children around. From a building perspective, having a balustrade installation that does not comply with the strict building regulations in place is simply, a disaster waiting to happen. This installation does not conform to the South African National Standards, nor is it aesthetically pleasing. We at Steel Studio ensure that all of our installations comply with SANS to ensure maximum safety from your balustrade installation while maintaining aesthetically pleasing cutting edge designs. Here are some pointers in preventing your balustrade installation from being a disaster.