There has been much coverage of the recent football World Cup, the incredible amounts of money spent in order to stage the tournament in Brazil and the numerous protests that have taken place around the country.
So you’d think with all the excessive expense that has gone on hosting the tournament, the powers that be would be able to build a safe and sturdy staircase for the fans, but it would appear that isn’t the case.
A staircase close to the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the venue for the World Cup final became the subject of safety concerns after a video emerged of it wobbling under the weight of fans making their way to a nearby subway station following the game between Argentina and Bosnia & Herzegovina, the first of seven to be played at the venue. The video clearly shows the staircase swaying from side to side as concerned fans hold on tightly to the handrails.
Following complaints from concerned visitors, tournament organisers and support staff in Rio carried out work on the staircase, intended to make it stronger and in the words of organising committee: “make it shake less”.
The wobbling seemed to be less of a problem after that first game in Rio but it is staggering that those involved with organising one of the world’s biggest sporting events would think a staircase of this kind, barely held up by scaffolding is acceptable over a permanent quality staircase that would provide a lasting legacy after the tournament is long gone, as well providing safe access for the tens of thousands of fans in attendance.
Of course, things don’t always go to plan with new structures. You may remember London’s Millennium Bridge, which became known as the “Wobbly Bridge” when it opened in 2000, due to the unintended swaying that occurred when large numbers of people walked across it. On that occasion, the problem was down to an unforseen phenomenon that caused lateral movement under the weight of the people above. The bridge was closed for almost two years whilst architects and engineered worked out how to fix the problem.
But with a structure like the staircase in Rio, it’s clear just from looking at it that there were going to be problems with stability and very worrying that someone in charge thought it was an acceptable solution.
If you’re looking for safe, sturdy, wobble-free stair components, UK Stair Parts has everything you need for constructing a staircase from scratch or just replacing existing parts.