By Martin Hart on Fri 06 March 2020
When fitting a disabled bathroom, there are several vital factors you need to consider. According to UK’s building regulations that are in practise, disabled toilet’s fixtures require certain a height and positioning to make them accessible.
An apparently small and insignificant detail in a normal bathroom can be vital in disabled bathrooms, as it can potentially endanger someone’s life. A broad range of people utilise these bathrooms, not only wheelchair users, and building regulations and requirements have been put into place to ensure the safety of whoever uses the bathroom.
Importance of Disabled Bathrooms
A standard wheelchair’s seat is roughly 480mm above floor level and the standard toilet pan is approximately 430mm above ground. Most people aren’t able to raise themselves that far up from the toilet to their wheelchair, even with decent upper body strength. A standard toilet pan is, therefore, unsuitable for disabled toilets.
Similarly, there is a need to have the basin close to the toilet as some people may require to wash their hands before rearranging their clothing and transferring back to their wheelchair. A toilet tissue dispenser is also preferable to toilet paper, as some people might only be able to utilise one hand.
Basic Cubicle Specifications
A minimum of 1.5m x 2m is required for sufficient manoeuvring space from outside the door to the WC. Additionally, the door should be able to open outwards in such a way that doesn’t obstruct circulation. The door itself needs to be light enough that people with limited strength have no trouble opening it.
The floor must be free of any obstacles and skid-resistant. The toilet needs to have 500mm distance from the side wall and the pan should project no more than 750mm. The seat, aside from having to be properly fitted, shouldn’t be open-fronted for maximum comfort.
The toilet’s flush handle is required to be on transfer side, and within reach at no higher than 1000mm. Two rails with hinge support at a diameter of 35mm need to be placed next to the toilet, at a distance of 150mm from its side. An emergency alarm cord needs to be visible in red, with a large pull handle, and within reach from the floor.
When fitting a disabled toilet, it’s vital to follow the building’s specifications and regulations to ensure that all fixtures, including all rails, mirror, bin, and wash basin, are at optimum and proper distances. For more information about our products, you can contact us on 01702 614044 to speak to our skilled team. We’re always happy to answer any query you might have.