Research has shown that access to most public buildings has to date been extremely difficult, if not impossible, for many disabled people and in particular wheelchair users. Access becomes an obstacle to overcome at some point in most people’s lives. Examples of such occasions include people with children in pushchairs, the elderly or somebody with a temporary disability.

The Part M building regulations have aided the promotion of improvements in access for disabled people in Ireland. It states many ways in which accessibility can be tackled at the design and development stage of any public area.

Accordingly, access can be viewed as a major factor in the design of new buildings or the refurbishment of an existing building. It has become a fundamental part of public building interiors and a way to ensure that dignity is kept by all who visit.

The introduction of BS8300:2001 gathers all the relevant standards under one umbrella to ensure that every aspect of disability is taken into account in building design.

Part M Regulations

Part ‘M’ of the Building Regulations was introduced in 1985 in an attempt to ensure that all commercial buildings were suitably equipped for the needs of disabled people. Public buildings at design and building stages must be fitted with adequate access for all potential users of the service. These requirements were extended to the building of new homes last October. Without adhering to part ‘M’, planning permission will often not be granted.

By 2004, under part ‘M’, all commercial buildings and retail premises across the UK brought in legislation to ensure that access for disabled people is of a sufficient level.

BS8300:2001 – Building design and approaches to meet the needs of disabled people.
These days the needs of disabled people are firmly in the minds of everyone involved in the construction industry. Since the first sight of Part M of the Building Regulations (which will eventually be followed in Ireland by the Disability Discrimination Act (1995)), the realisation has occurred of how inadequately disabled persons’ needs have been considered in the past. The introduction of BS8300:2001 gathers all the relevant standards under one umbrella to ensure that every aspect of disability is taken into account in building design. As lift manufacturers, installers and service engineers, at Premier Platform Lifts we focus entirely on lift solutions and related products.

8.4 Lifts
Lifts are an essential amenity for disabled people in multi-storey buildings. Lifts may be conventional passenger lifts, platform lifts* or stair lifts**. * Platform lifts – vertical platform lifts and platform stair lifts that travel on the side of a stairway. ** Stair lifts – a single person chair that travels on the side of a stairway, from hereon referred to as Chair lifts. Traditionally passenger lifts have been installed in multi-storey buildings. However, since the introduction of the DDA and the requirement to provide access for all visitors to public buildings, the use of platform lifts has helped meet the requirements for disabled access. In exceptional circumstances a chair lift may be included in a public building, but only if it constitutes the only means of travelling over two floors.

8.4.1. Provision of lifts
A conventional passenger lift should be the preferred option to provide comprehensive access for all users to levels in a building. However, in existing buildings where access to such a lift is not possible, a platform lift should be provided as an alternative option. If neither of the other types of lift can be installed a chair lift could be chosen as the final option for existing public buildings.

It is imperative that lifts are installed ‘ fit for purpose’. A responsible advisor should help you look at the current and likely future uses of the building and the short and long-term costs of installing the optimum lift to meet everyone’s needs. An example of this might be a school that can meet the needs of one disabled pupil by having all the services they need to access on the ground floor. As the school becomes popular the number of pupils with special needs grows and services can no longer be restricted to one floor. A vertical platform lift would solve an immediate problem, but within months of installation the head teacher wishes a passenger lift had been installed to meet all their current and future requirements.

Once the correct lift for the purpose has been chosen, the detail of how a range of disabled people might use the lift needs to be carefully addressed.

8.4.2. & 8.4.3 Access to lifts
In the past the needs of many disabled people have been overlooked and life has been made unnecessarily difficult. BS8300 will make us all more aware of ways in which building design can be ‘inclusive’ in a very considered way. The Standard looks at every aspect of approaching, using and exiting lifts with every type of disability considered.

Signage, both when entering and exiting the lift. All visual indicators and lift call buttons need to be visible and usable by passengers in both standing or seated positions.

Lighting needs to enhance accessibility and the lighting itself needs to ensure people with visual impairment are catered for.

Audible Announcements within the lift car and on landings are required for both visually and audibly impaired people.

Call buttons should have symbols in relief to enable Tactile Reading.

Car floors and ramps should feature slip-resistant materials to reduce the risk of falling.

Areas of glass in the lift should be easily identifiable to those with impaired vision.

Handrails may need to be provided for ambulant disabled people, these may be particularly needed on landing areas at the foot or head of a ramp.

Emergency communication systems
Passenger lifts should be fitted with an emergency communication system that should incorporate an induction coupler for the benefit of those using hearing aids. A visual indicator should also be incorporated to confirm that an emergency call has been received. Vertical platform lifts should be fitted with audible alarm.

Platform stair lifts (the most suitable stairlift for people using a wheelchair) should also be fitted with an audible alarm. Chair lifts in a public building should, ideally, be positioned within the view of a reception area and fitted with an alarm, in case a user gets into difficulties.

If a platform stair lift or chair lift is fitted in a building with a single stairway it must not reduce the width of that stairway beyond the minimum width for pedestrian escape.

At Premier Platform Lifts we pride ourselves on being the providers of customer-focused products and quality services. Supplying various industries means that we already embrace the processes of BS8300-2001 across our entire product range. Installing a platform lift on your own or your clients premises will ensure that you are welcoming everyone and adhering to all access laws and regulations. We appreciate that questions can be many and the best solutions not always immediately obvious and with this in mind we invite you to contact us whatever your project requirements are.