Accessible toilets

It is still apparent that many businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and shops, who offer disabled toilet facilities are not only failing in their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act - DDA - but could be putting people with disabilities at risk of accident or injury.

Requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act

Accessible toilets have very specific requirements under the DDA. These requirements are carefully considered to meet the needs of people with a range of disabilities, including physical  sensory and learning disabilities.

A disabled toilet compartment has to meet the needs of all people with disabilities and offer safe transfer both on and off the toilet for people in wheelchairs. If the correct equipment is not available, such as drop down grab rails, or is incorrectly fittted, using these facilities is difficult - if not impossible. It puts the disabled person at risk, and might open the company that offer such facilities up to litigation, as they are responsible should any accident or injury occur.

Businesses installing accessible toilets also need to remember that the DDA requires suitable facilities for managing personal hygiene, including accessible wash basins, soap, toilet paper and paper towel dispensers. These fixtures and fittings need to be designed and correctly installed so they are readily accessible to a person seated on the pan or in a wheelchair.

Current Regulations

The regulations for wheelchair accessible toilets are very extensive, so these facilities should never be installed without professional help. There appear to be very few accessible toilets which fully comply with the specifications as set out in Approved Document Part M 2004 -of the Building Regulations, and British Standard 8300:2001

Advice

I'd like to encourage businesses to reassess the standard of  their accessible toilets, to ensure they meet the needs of their disabled clients,  and to upgrade/ refurbish as necessary.

Those businesses planning installation of a new accessible toilet on their premises should ensure it is built to be fully compliant with current specifications.

To assist in this process, the documents below offer a comprehensive check list of what should be included in any upgrade /  new build as stated in Part M and BS8300.

Any problems with downloading the documents, or for any further advice please contact the Access Officer.