BS 8300 - positive implications for inclusive door and handrail design

The long awaited revision of BS 8300 has finally arrived. Unlike 2005’s amendment, which concentrated on selected topics such as door closing forces and visual contrast, 2009’s covers the whole Standard. It marks a real step forward in establishing good practice for accessibility, achieving greater consistency with AD M and incorporating recommendations from other Standards.
New recommendations relating to stair design will be published in BS 5395 Part 1, based on BRE research into accidents on steps and stairs. Having  concluded that, when descending, a fall is more likely when only 50 - 60% of the foot is placed on the tread,  BS 8300 now recommends a 300 - 450mm going for all stairs. This reflects the approach taken for external situations in AD M, and with the previous recommendation having been 250 - 300mm, the new lower limit has become the previous upper one.
The BRE research also concluded that a larger going is more important than the rise, so the maximum rise of 170mm has been increased to 180mm. This makes it easier to accommodate a stair with an increased going into the circulation zone of a building, the effect being that fewer steps will be required.

Handrails
Here again, convergence has been achieved with the BS 5395 Part 1 revision, as the BRE concluded that fewer falls on stairs occur if a ‘power grip’ on the handrail is possible. The optimum external perimeter dimension of a handrail is now 100 - 140mm, giving a corresponding circular handrail diameter of 32 - 45mm. Laidlaw Solutions for example, has a 34mm diameter nylon sleeve with a textured grip, which would have been smaller than the 40 - 50mm range recommended previously. The top of the range is again as shown in AD M and, as far as the spacing from an enclosing wall is concerned, the range has been increased from 50 - 60mm to 60 - 75mm.
Revisions to recommendations on handrail materials acknowledge the need to resist vandalism or misuse ,while avoiding discomfort from excessive heat or cold. Where such considerations are particularly important, the use of stainless steel in external situations is now considered acceptable due to its relatively low thermal conductivity relative to other metals.

Door vision panels
Previous dimensional constraints on the arrangement of vision panels were considered too restrictive and not to have taken account of contemporary door designs, particularly those incorporating multiple vision panels. A one metre vertical zone of visibility, 500 to 1500mm above the floor could formerly only be interrupted by a single horizontal member, say to accommodate door furniture. Now, the zone of visibility should not be interrupted by more than 350mm in total, but his may involve a number of small horizontal members and multiple vision panels.

Door opening and closing furniture
Door opening furniture must, of course, be easily identifiable by the blind and partially sighted by means of visual contrast. The recommended difference in light reflectance value (LRV) between furniture and door has been reduced to 15 points, compared with the generally recommended level of 30. This opens the way for the greater use, for example, of satin aluminium and stainless steel door furniture.
The four examples of lever handles in BS 8300’s figures are now considered more representative, while  the concept of a ‘hand grip zone’ has been introduced. This must be at least 95mm wide and 45mm from the face of the door, in order to ensure that the lever is more convenient to grasp and operate.
Greater flexibility is provided in the length and position of a vertical pull handle, but it must be graspable between 1000mm and 1300mm above the floor, and at least 300mm long. However, it could also extend say from 700mm above the floor to 1300mm or more, if desired. As with lever handles, pull handle figures now show more than one example on a door, including a timber door with vision panels and a glazed metal or PVCu door with narrow stiles.

With the incorporation of so much technical information  from AD M , BS8300 fills a number of gaps. Intended to apply to new build, it also provides a valuable benchmark with detailed dimensions and design considerations that can apply equally to recommended adaptations for existing buildings.