Raising Rails and Alternative Barriers

In a physical sense, guards, rails, and screens create a literal barrier preventing a person from falling or jumping from a significant height. However, the built environment is also an opportunity to improve one’s mental health. We seek to reframe suicide prevention barriers as not only important safety features, but also aesthetic opportunities to encourage wellbeing. Proven strategies can be used to incorporate design features into these barriers that are psychologically satisfying and calming. These barriers should not be seen as unsightly necessities, but rather as multifunctional installations. The unique problem of suicide by jumping calls for creative solutions to prevent deadly falls without obstructing the urban fabric. It is not our aim to build a city of cages. See below for various types of barriers we endorse.

  • Guardrails

    Guardrails help prevent falls from heights, such as on balconies, bridges, and mezzanines. They are designed to withstand forces that might otherwise cause a person to fall, providing a sturdy barrier between people and potential drop-offs. The current highest code-prescribed guardrails are only 42”, roughly waist height.

  • Rigid Screens

    Rigid screens serve as effective barriers in places where a complete defense against falling hazards is needed. Screens extend from the ground to the ceiling, offering comprehensive protection across the entirety of a space. After two suicides, NYU’s Bobst Library had screens installed that have prevented any further attempts from occurring.

  • Nets

    Nets act as a flexible barrier between a person and a void below, positioned several feet below potential drop points to catch and contain anyone who falls. At the Golden Gate Bridge a suicide deterrent net was completed in 2024, but even in 2023 while the net was still being installed the suicide numbers at the bridge were halved.

  • Window Guards

    Window Guards are installed to prevent accidental falls from windows, especially in high-rise residential buildings where children are present. They allow windows to be opened for ventilation without the risk of falling out. The Baden Cantonal Hospital in Switzerland installed a minimal safety rail in each window to deter patients from jumping, and the suicide rate at the hospital decreased significantly

  • Fencing

    Fencing can be used to decrease the fall risk from high places such as rooftops and bridges. They can also be curved inwards or topped with sharp caps (as shown below) to further reduce the possibility of someone scaling the barrier. The Empire State Building installed a 10-foot fence surrounding its observatory deck after numerous suicide attempts in 1947, an intervention that has greatly reduced suicides from this location.

  • Hostile Plantings

    Hostile Plantings are strategically used to deter access to certain areas. Sharp, spiky, and tall plants can be effective natural barriers that discourage climbing over or passing through restricted zones.

  • Platform Screen Doors

    Platform Screen Doors are commonly used in subway stations to prevent people from falling onto train tracks. They can be half or full-height, with full-height barriers completely preventing access to the tracks. In South Korea, the installation of platform screen doors was shown to decrease fatal suicide cases by 89%, with full-height barriers completely eliminating suicides at subway stations.

  • Physical and Electronic Barriers

    Physical and Electronic Barriers range from tangible constructs like bollards and walls to electronic systems like alarm sensors and motion detectors. These barriers serve to protect and secure spaces from unauthorized access or to ensure safety within a designated area.

  • Stepped Building

    Using a stepped building design can minimize the distance between raised platforms and the ground below them, making a lethal jump less likely.

  • Strategic Landscaping

    Strategic Landscaping involves the placement of furniture, plants, and other elements beneath a high place in order to cover bare ground. This intervention helps deter potential jumpers, as their fall could be broken by one of these elements.

Rail Height Precedents

Recommendations for Railings

Rail Height

The current minimum guardrail height is only 42”, roughly waist height on the average adult. This height was likely inspired by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) minimum guardrail height at construction sites. 42” is derived from the average person’s center of gravity. The higher a railing is above their center of gravity, the shorter the lever arm. A shorter lever arm equates to less force acting to tip a person over the railing. While this logic is effective for preventing falls, it does not take into account the ability of a person to scale or climb the railing. While more research is needed on the specific height most effective to prevent suicide by jumping, we recommend a minimum height of 60 inches for a suicide barrier. This height offers comprehensive protection from falls and jumps without compromising aesthetics or visibility. Taller railings also provide a psychological sense of security and act as a visual cue to stay away from the edge. The specific conditions of a building, including the floor to ceiling height, area density, and building purpose must all be considered in the decision of railing height. Ultimately, we advocate for architects and designers to consider higher railings or other preventative measures in their design, targeting buildings with the highest suicide risk.

Window Guards and Limit Stops

New York City code currently requires that windows in apartment and public hallways have a window guard installed if children age ten or younger reside there, with the exception of emergency windows such as those that open to a fire escape or secondary egress windows in first floor apartments. Raise the Rail advocates for window guards or limit stops to be installed on all non-emergency windows above 40 feet from the ground level. 

Atrium and Rooftop Barriers

In public atriums where height exceeds 40 feet, floor to ceiling screens should be installed. For accessible rooftops at a height above 40 feet, we recommend a minimum height of 96” for a barrier, reduced to 72” minimum if other security measures such as surveillance or hostile planting are incorporated. There must also be consideration for furniture placed near the barrier that can be used to climb.

Visibility

In general, preventative designs should facilitate visibility, preserving views and allowing for easy monitoring of the area by security personnel or by the public. Enhanced lighting is recommended to increase visibility and act as a deterrent to unsafe behavior.

Form and Materiality

To further increase safety, rails and barriers should be built of a smooth material and potentially curve inward in order to make climbing more difficult.

Potential Locations for Barriers

  • Public Attractions

    Locations such as observation decks can be tragically attractive due to their height and the symbolic nature of the site, offering a dramatic setting that might appeal to those in a vulnerable state.

  • Bridges

    One of the most common suicide hotspots, bridges attract many seeking suicide due to their ease of access, extreme height, and reputation.

  • Healthcare Facilities

    Patients may experience despair from chronic pain, chronic illness, severe mental health disorders, or the perceived burden of medical costs. Many hospitals rise several stories, posing a significant risk of death by falling.

  • Residential Buildings and Hotels

    Factors such as loneliness, domestic issues, and privacy can exacerbate the risk of suicide in high-rise residential buildings and hotels. The windows, balconies, and rooftops of these buildings often provide the means to attempt suicide by jumping.

  • Educational Institutions

    The intense pressure to excel academically, social isolation, and the stress of transitioning to new life phases can significantly affect students' mental health, potentially leading to suicidal ideation. Dormitories, libraries, and other educational buildings are often tall enough that falls from higher floors would be lethal.

  • Parking Garages

    Their accessibility and height make them vulnerable spots for those seeking the means to commit suicide. They also tend to have low levels of security or surveillance, making it easier to reach a place where falling would be lethal.

  • Atriums

    Often found in public buildings such as shopping malls, the upper floors of atriums may provide a lethal spot for one to jump from.

  • Natural Attractions

    The idea of dying in a seemingly peaceful or isolated area increases the risk of suicide by jumping at locations such as cliffs, waterfalls, riverfronts, and other natural attractions.

  • Train Platforms

    Open train platforms pose a risk of one falling onto the tracks and being struck by a train. Without railings or barriers, these platforms allow people to access train tracks with no hindrance whatsoever.