Disability Discrimination Act & Document M

The information provided below are guidelines and regulations that impact upon our products. Primarily these products are:

  • Door Furniture (handles)
  • Door Closers
  • Door locks

A range of options is available that enable compliance with The Disability and Discrimination Act and Document M legislation including low threshold and anti-finger trap sections.

Building regulations on opening widths require that all doors in both domestic and commercial applications feature a minimum clear opening to enable persons of reduced mobility to manoeuvre through a building.

Recommendations:

Handles

It should be possible to operate door opening furniture one handed, without tightly grasping it or twisting it. The preferred centre height of a handle is 1000mm. There should be no sharp edges, and not cold to touch.

BS8300-2001 clause 6.5.1 Door Opening Furniture:
"For easy identification by visually impaired people all door furniture should contrast visually with the surface of the door."

Threshold

The entrance threshold should either be level, or if the provision of a raised threshold is unavoidable, should not be more than 15mm high. A threshold in excess of 5mm in height should be chamfered or pencil rounded.

Door closers

The maximum closing force at the leading edge of a door fitted with a self closing device should not exceed 20N.

Door widths

Below is a an extract from the Building Regulations Document M displaying the minimum effective clear widths of doors:

Door entry systems

Where door entry systems are installed they should be located on the latch side of the door with the activation pad located within 200mm of door frame. The entry system should be at a height of between 750mm and 1000mm from the finished floor level.

 

 

For the full 'Approved Document M'
download click on the document image:

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