CSA A500-16

1.1 General This Standard specifies requirements for the materials, design, construction, testing, and performance of building guards. This Standard applies to building guards required as protective barriers to prevent accidental falls from one level to another. Notes: 1) This includes walls acting as guards. 2) Guards can be with or without openings, around openings in floors, or at the open sides of stairs, landings, balconies, mezzanines, galleries, raised walkways, or other locations. 1.2 Exclusions This Standard does not apply to a) temporary guards regulated elsewhere by applicable health and safety requirements; b) guards for resisting impact from vehicles; c) guards used in Group F (industrial occupancy) buildings as set out by the National Building Code of Canada (NBC); and d) guards used in Group A (assembly occupancy) buildings that are permitted to be designed to other requirements as set out by the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), such as in places of assembly with fixed seats or bleacher seats. 1.3 Terminology In this Standard, “shall” is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; “should” is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and “may” is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard. Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material. Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements. Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.