DISABILITYCOMPLIANCE • 51
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MANUALLY OPERATED
NON-POWERED DOORS
A non-powered door fitted
with a self-closing device that
is capable of closing the door
against wind forces and also
the resistance of draught seals
is unlikely to be openable by a
wheelchair user or someone
with limited strength.
Choose door closers
equipped with a cam action
as this will lower the force
required to open the door and
thus meet the BS 8300 Equality
Act standard. From Allegion,
the Briton 2300 series and
Briton 2700 series are both
capable closers in this respect.
Also know that the opening
force from the leading edge of
the door should not exceed 30
Newtons from 0-30 degrees,
and should not exceed 22.5
Newtons from 30-60 degrees of
the opening cycle. INTERNAL DOORS
Design considerations for
internal doors are similar to
those for entrance doors and
can be applied in the same
way.
The force needed to open
the door manually should not
exceed 30 Newtons at any point
in the full opening cycle.
The design of the door is
also important. It should be
distinguishable from the
adjacent facades, as should the
ironmongery (for example, pull
handles) used on the door.
Also note that lever-style
handles are preferable to knob
sets for disability compliance.
The Briton 4200 series and
Briton 4700 series are examples
of Disability Discrimination Act
(DDA) compliant handles.
POWERED ENTRANCE
DOORS
For entrance doors that
are powered, the manual
control these doors should be
clearly distinguishable from
the background, and located
between 750mm and 1000mm
from the ground level (to
include swipe cards etc.).
If the powered entrance
door requires access control,
linking powered closers to
access control systems, such as
the Briton 2500 powered series
to SimonsVoss access control
systems, is a solution.
If the doors swing toward
people approaching them, then
visual and audible warnings
should be provided. The doors
should incorporate a safety stop
if someone is passing through,
and either revert to manual
control or stay open in the
event of a power failure. TONAL CONTRAST
AND COLOUR
Tonal contrast and colour is
vitally important so that people
with visual impairments can
operate and distinguish door
features easier.
The entrance door should
contrast visually with its
immediate surroundings and
should be well lit and clearly
signed. It should not have a
mirrored finish, according to BS
8300: 2009 6.1.2.
For easy identification by
blind and partially sighted
people, all door opening
furniture should contrast
visually with the surface of the
door.
Light Reflectance Value
(LRV) should be used to assess
the degree of visual contrast
between surfaces such as
floors, walls, doors and ceilings
as well as between key fittings/
fixtures and surrounding
surfaces.
Allegion’s Normbau range
of door furniture can provide a
more visual contrast with the
doors, specifically providing
different LRVs to assist visually
handicapped people.
To help identify key
objects within sanitary
accommodation, support
rails and grab-rails should
also contrast visually with the
wall, and with fittings and
accessories should contrast
visually within the background
against which they
are seen.
Normbau’s Cavere range
is specifically designed for
sanitary accommodation
in multiple occupancy
buildings and also contains an
antibacterial treatment which
prevents the transmission of
a range of contaminants and
thus prevents infection from
being passed on.
EGRESS AND
ESCAPE ROUTES
The safe evacuation of
all potential users of the
building is a vitally important
consideration for locksmiths
and building managers.
When considering means
of escape in case of fire, the
ultimate consideration is the
amount of time it will take for
a person to travel from a place
threatened by fire to a place of
safety.
We should stress that
disability is not an absolute
measure of mobility.
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For instance, evacuation
tests have previously shown
that wheelchair users were
able to evacuate premises
before ambulant people with
walking aids. The tests showed
wheelchair users did not
generally impede or impose
any delay on the able-bodied
people. However, it was the
ambulant person using a
walking frame who was the
source of the most serious
im