Observing accessibility is a growing concern for many business owners. Besides adopting internal processes to cater to different target demographics, they’re also reinforcing the standards of their physical facilities. This applies to their compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA.
The ADA is a federal law designed to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. This promotes establishments to implement structural improvements to allow easy navigation and around its premises. Although some organizations are exempted from ADA violations, most businesses must adhere to these accessible design recommendations to avoid penalties.
Paying Attention to ADA Compliance
Organizations that aren’t ADA compliant can be fined at least 75,000 dollars per ADA violation and additional fines according to state and local policies. Besides expensive fees, it’s also important to realize the ethical and practical reasoning behind ADA regulations. It benefits your company’s image to promote accessibility to maintain trust among your customers and business partners. By knowing which parts in your facilities need improvements, you can service your customers much better.
If you want to keep your facility ADA compliant, here are four violations you need to watch out for:
Lack of Parking Spaces for Persons with Disabilities
Depending on your business, the ADA has different rules on the number of spaces you should allot for people with disabilities. Nevertheless, these spots need to generally be van accessible and have the shortest distance connecting to an entrance to durability. Additionally, there must be an access aisle next to the space, allowing passengers to move from their vehicle to your facility with ease. You can implement this by installing access ramps or safety railings.
Lack of Adequately Constructed Ramps
As mentioned above, you must have access ramps leading to the entrances and exits of your facility. Besides having them around for wheelchair access in your parking lots, ramps must also be present within your buildings when necessary.
Keep in mind that ramp slope requirements must be specific to be ADA compliant. The ramp must be a sloping route that must be no greater than one inch of vertical rise for every 20 inches of horizontal run.
Inadequately Designed Doors
Besides ramps for wheelchair access, you should also have access doors for persons with disabilities. This applies not just to your entrances but also to your emergency exits.
Under ADA standards, doors must have a door opening of at least 34 inches. This is measured from the face of the door to the top of the frame. Additionally, the door handle must be no lower than 34 inches from the floor to make them easily reachable by persons in wheelchairs.
Lack of Accessible Restrooms
Details concerning the ADA regulations for restrooms are a lot to digest, with some of them pertaining to stall widths to the implementation of automatic toiletries. Additionally, designing accessible restrooms will depend on the interior limitations of your facility. For this reason, it’s necessary to consult the official ADA Standards for Accessible Design for your consideration.
Conclusion
Following ADA policies is a matter of having the right planning and materials to optimize your facilities. By partnering with professional suppliers, you can address accessibility issues with quality solutions for your establishments.
If you want to observe ADA compliance OR Fire Door Inspections in your facilities, you need to purchase the right additions to your property. At All Things Inspector, we sell a wide range of products to reinforce your facilities’ safety. Browse our store to find door pressure gauges, fire door tools, and more!