ACCESSIBILITY RISK ASSESSMENT TO SUPPORT DDA COMPLIANCE

The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against disabled persons in connection with employment, the provision of goods, facilities and services or the disposal or management of premises. It places a duty on building managers and facilities management companies to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ when providing access to facilities, services and premises.

Richie

Thomas

Senior Health & Safety Consultant

Bureau Veritas UK

The Bureau Veritas International Risk and Safety Management Team have shown their expertise once again by completing an accessibility risk assessment to determine a client’s compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and other applicable legislation and regulations.

Our services helped the client – a major FM provider – to better understand how the property meets the needs of staff, visitors, and employees with a disability and identify areas for improvement. Working closely with the client team, our consultants reviewed relevant documentation before visiting the property to assess the design of the buildings, surrounding areas and car parking facilities.

The resulting detailed report explained the requirements for people to gain equitable access to services and allow unrestricted movement around the property, as well as an action plan with recommendations on how to resolve non-compliances.

Determining compliance

Key areas highlighted in the report included:

Availability of disabled car parking spaces
Unrestricted access to the main entrances of all buildings
Measurements of internal corridors and doors
Angle of ramps for wheelchair users
Availability of disabled toilets and emergency pull cords
Lift access to upper levels and basement
Height from the floor of all plug sockets, light switches, lift control panels, door handles, emergency call points and emergency door release mechanisms
Unrestricted movement within office space locations for wheelchair access, including desk heights, access to emergency evacuation routes, provision of emergency evacuation chairs and refuge areas in fire-protected stairwells
Provision of hearing loops and emergency light systems for audibly impaired persons
Provision of appropriate signage for visually impaired persons – braille signs are displayed at the correct height and locations

With this information, and with the actions identified in the Bureau Veritas report, our client has the insight to support continued compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act and other regulations.

These include the Equality Act 2010, Building Regulations 2010 (Approved Document M, Volume, Dwellings), BS 8300, 2009 and Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005.

Alex

Brown

Market Lead for Facilities Management clients

Bureau Veritas UK

The detailed report provided to this client not only identified the actions needed, but also used a grading system to highlight each observation according to the risk of how significant the breach is to the regulations. The accessibility risk assessment is another demonstration of our services for FM providers and building managers, giving duty holders the tools and support they need to manage buildings safely, responsibly and compliantly. We continue to offer ongoing support as required to make sure they are able to meet the legal and moral duty of care.

Could you benefit from an accessibility risk assessment? Contact our team on 0345 600 1828 or click here to submit an enquiry