Disabled Toilet Design & Refurbishment
Transform your Accessible Toilets
Disabled toilet facilities in your commercial building are essential to ensure all visitors feel safe, comfortable and welcomed on site. But if you’re accessible toilets are not up to standard, or even currently none existent, it’s time to refurbish your facilities for a modern and welcoming space.
At Bano, we are experts in designing and fitting out commercial washrooms, and we have extensive experience in creating fully accessible facilities. Here you can find more information on how we can help you install disabled toilets and what needs to be included in your refurbishment to ensure total accessibility for all.
What Makes an Accessible Toilet?
There is a wide range of different disabilities and impairments that need to be considered when it comes to designing an accessible toilet space in your building. Whether the purpose of the building is professional, for example, an office space, or leisure-focused, like community centres or gyms, disabled toilet facilities are a must.
If you’re unsure what considerations need to be in place when designing or refurbishing a disabled toilet space, here is a quick run-through of what we can help with.
Features of a Disabled Toilet Facility:
Height-appropriate toilet basin position: To ensure toilet seats are level with wheelchairs to make transfer easier.
Lowered wash basin, mirror and supplies: Facilities must be within easy reaching distance to allow wheelchair accessibility.
Grab rails and support bars: Designed to aid movement and comfort in the accessible toilet space for transferring etc.
Outward opening doors: Enables space and ease of movement inside the accessible toilet cubicle for wheelchair users.
Emergency red cord alarm: For use in emergencies, and should be long enough in length to pool on the floor.
Lever style taps and paddle flush: Aid those with limited dexterity to use facilities efficiently.
Clean and sanitary shelves: For use to lay out medical equipment safely, i.e. when changing stoma bags.
Contrasting colours: Specifically for toilet seats and grab rails to aid in visuals.
When it comes to the fit-out of a disabled toilet facility on your site, you must ensure you’re adhering to any necessary disabled toilet regulations in the UK. This encompasses a wide range of considerations that should be in place for the design and execution, from dimensions to other practical design choices.
DDA-Compliant Toilet
The most important piece of equipment in an accessible toilet facility is the toilet itself, and it must be DDA-compliant. These are regulations set out by the Disability Discrimination Act, which ensures every accessible toilet has added front projection, such as an elongated pan. This larger surface area makes the transfer to the toilet seat much easier and safer for wheelchair users.
Accessible Wash Basins
When adding a wash basin, it must be at a wheelchair-accessible height and not be fitted within a larger vanity or other furniture. This could make it difficult to use, and similarly, any pipework should not be boxed in as this could limit a wheelchair user’s access to the basin. It should also be flanked by vertical bars on either side of the basin.
Doc M Layout
In the design of an accessible toilet facility, you must also follow the regulations set out by Document M by the government under the UK building regulations. This stipulates the size, shape and style of grab bars that should fit in a disabled toilet cubicle to aid movement. It also details that the wall the grab bars are mounted on must support both the grab bars and the user’s weight.
Disabled Toilet Dimensions
Any disabled toilet cubicle must meet strict minimum dimensions to ensure enough space for wheelchair users to comfortably manoeuvre. Similarly, to ensure there is space for care assistants to be present. The minimum disabled toilet dimensions in the UK for accessible cubicles are 1000mm x 1000mm. Other dimensions to consider are that of the toilet, which needs to have a height of between 440 and 500mm.
Disabled Toilet Regulations UK
Refurbish Your Disabled Toilet Today
Get in touch to learn how we can help you with expert toilet refurbishments at Bano. Our expert team are on hand to answer all your questions regarding accessible toilet regulations and specifications. Plus, we can offer more advice on how we can transform your space.
You can also learn more about our accessible washroom and disabled shower refurbishment services also available. Contact us today for more help and a free quote on our services.