Access Audit Template

Key plan with scale

Plan of churchyard inc trees

Purpose of the audit

The purpose of this access audit is to assess the accessibility of the building and surroundings for all its users. The audit examined external environments, horizontal circulation, interior, facilities, communication, and evacuation. The audit aims to identify the positive and negative accessibility issues relating to buliding being audited. An access audit is one of the first of many steps that can help to improve accessibility and provides the basis for an access improvement plan or strategy. Carrying out an access audit will identify a number of features including: • The current accessibility of the building/property/site; • Areas for improvement (e.g. no accessible car spaces in the car park or the door in the accessible toilet on the ground floor is incorrectly located and therefore the WC is inaccessible); • Good/bad practice. The purpose of an access audit is to establish how well a particular building or environment performs in terms of access and ease of use by a wide range of potential users, including people with disabilities, and to recommend access improvements. • Reference documentation include: The Approved Documents Part M and Best Practice BSI 8300 2010. Access audits give a snapshot of an existing building at a point in time. They are a useful starting point in assessing the current state of accessibility and usability of existing buildings.

Access Plan

The access audit is only one step that should be taken to ensure an organization or building is accessible, after it has been carried out an action/implementation plan or strategy is required. An access plan: • Is a strategy for improving accessibility developed from the access audit and can ensure that access is an on going concern and help identify opportunities for change. • Could incorporate planned maintenance programmes, a schedule of works that has been devised to take into account the priority and cost information in the audit, processes to allow regular updating of the audit information and links to maintenance and management procedures. • Should also set out procedures to ensure that when opportunities for access improvements arise they are recognised.

Walk and Talk Audit

Before preparing an Access Plan, you might consider a Walk and Talk audit. During a walk and talk audit, the auditor will examine the building alongside the client, indicating any possible barriers to access, and verbally suggesting improvements that could be made. This approach will allow members of your group to give a ‘consumer perspective’ of their experience, and may have much more impact on the client than something written on paper. The walk and talk audit is sometimes accompanied by a report as well.

Appendix A

Car Parking 1. Accessible parking bay. The width of 3600mm is required because wheelchair transfer may be needed from the drivers or the passengers side. The length of 5000mm is required because some people store their wheelchair in the boot of the car. 2. A wheelchair transfer zone shared between two bays increases the number of bays where space is limited. This should be 1200mm with parking bays of 2500mm. 3. Totally level access from the front of bays is to be encouraged. 4. Footpaths should be provided to the front of parking bays, so that bay users do not have to move behind parked vehicles and into the flow of traffic. This is especially hazardous for wheelchair users where they may be below the line of other motorists vision. 5. Where level access is provided to the front of bays, signs can be used to prevent vehicles from overrunning parking space. 6. A sign should be provided indicating parking for use by “Orange badge holders only”. This should be a min 1200mm to the top of the sign and a min 600mm wide.

Appendix A1

Tactile and Visulal warnings Top landing to be a min 2000mm by 800mm tactile strips that extend a min of 400mm at each side of stairs and to stop 400mm from nosing. Permanent contrast incorporated into treads of flight. Min width between handrails 1000mm.

Appendix B

Internal dimensions 1200mm x 1400mm Door opening 800mm 1500mm x 1500mm unobstructed landing space Max 400mm threshold Tactile identification of floor level selection set between 900mm and 1200mm on wall outside lift. Tactile identification of floor level selection set between 900mm and 1200mm on wall inside lift.

Appendix C

Provisions An internal stair will satisfy requirement M2 if; A. It has flights whose unobstructed widths are at least 100mm; B. All step nosings are distinguishable through contrasting brightness C. The rise of a flight between landings is not more than 1800mm; D It has top and bottom, and if necessary intermediate landings, each of whose lengths is not less than 1200mm clear of any door swing in to it E. The rise of each step is uniform and not more than 170mm F. The going of each step is uniform and not less than 250mm, which for tapered treads should be measured at a point 270mm from the “inside” of the stair G. Risers are not open H. There is a continuous handrail on each side of flights and landings, if the rise of the stair comprises two or more risers.

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