ACCESSIBILITY
Achieving inclusivity for all in healthcare environments
Eryl Jones, Managing Director of the Assa Abloy Door Hardware Group, discusses the key issues that decision-makers and facilities managers need to be aware of when it comes to inclusive design for healthcare buildings, the critical considerations for door opening solutions, and the potential risks of not complying with these.
Inclusive design is defined as an ‘approach to the design of an environment, including buildings and their surrounding spaces, to ensure that they can be accessed and used by everyone’. When talking about inclusive design, many people immediately think of those with a disability, or specific, specialist requirements. While inclusive design encompasses the needs of these people, its key objective is to make a site inclusive for all, no matter what.
In fact, despite public perception, and the wheelchair being the symbol for accessibility, less than 8 per cent of disabilities require the use of a wheelchair. Whether it’s the elderly, the disabled, or children, everyone should be able to access and use a building and its facilities easily and safely. This is a critical requirement in hospitals and other healthcare settings, which cannot afford to compromise on inclusivity. However, evidence across the building industry suggests that there is still a great deal of confusion and non-compliance surrounding the guidance governing inclusive design. This includes Approved Document M, the Equality Act 2010 and, crucially, BS 8300-1 and 8300-2:2018, which set out how buildings should be designed, constructed, and maintained, to create an accessible and inclusive environment for all.
Creating an ‘inclusive’ environment BS 8300-2:2018 was most recently updated in 2018, with its emphasis shifting from creating an ‘accessible’ environment to one that’s ‘inclusive’. It now prioritises ensuring that those with specific needs have these accommodated within a general space, and not set apart in a separate area. In essence, inclusive design aims to remove the barriers that might prevent an individual from using an environment freely and with ease. Everyone will experience limited mobility at some point in their lives, whether it’s as a tourist laden with bulky luggage, a parent with a young child, an older person, or someone that might have
Bearing in mind the needs of wheelchair users, Approved Document M states that there must be ‘an unobstructed space of at least 300 mm on the pull side of the door, between the leading edge of the door and any return wall’. Door opening furniture should be easily reached, and provide a secure grip to users.
suffered an injury. The key is to overcome any challenges that might restrict or limit a healthcare building from being used independently.
Opening the door to inclusivity Door opening solutions can potentially be a common barrier to inclusive design. This challenge might arise because someone is a wheelchair user, or a parent with a young child using a pushchair. Alternatively, it could be due to physical changes that occur throughout the ageing process – which might include deterioration of sight, hearing loss, a decline in respiratory and cardiovascular functions, or reduced muscle and grip strength – as an older member of society. Nevertheless, carefully considering door opening solutions can make a real difference to the inclusivity of a space. For example, there are many considerations
that need to be taken into account to comply with BS 8300-2:2018, such as opening and closing forces. To enable independent access through a door, the opening force – when measured at the leading edge of the door – should be no greater than 30 N, when moving from the closed position to 30˚ open. Then, the opening force required from 30˚ to 60˚ should be no more than 22.5 N, and in terms of the maximum closing force exerted by a controlled door closing device, this should be within 0˚ and 15˚ of final closure.
Door fittings need to be properly considered, too. Door opening furniture should be easily reached, and provide a secure grip to users. This is critically important to many people with a disability. It should be possible to operate door furniture one-handed, without the need to grasp or twist.
October 2020 Health Estate Journal 53
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