subject: Rising Stairs: Economical, Effective Disabled Access Platforms [print this page] It's a fact that having or developing a disability brings the sufferer a cross to bear. A motor disability - one which affects your mobility - is arguably one of the more difficult disabilities to cope with. Happily, public awareness of disability has been established for many years now and there are plenty of facilities for disabled individuals.
Stairs present a significant problem for anyone with a motor disability. There are, of course, solutions to transferring people from one level to another. Unfortunately, these can be extremely costly, in terms of both installation and maintenance. A conventional lift, for example, requires the space in which to operate, expert fitting within this space, and regular, professional maintenance to guarantee safety and efficiency.
There are, however, alternatives that use the technology normally employed in cargo-handling scissor lifts. Low vertical rise access platforms are available and an installation can be specially designed to fit in an existing space without major structural alterations. Fitment beside an existing staircase is a popular option.
Whether the disabled people using these platforms are wheelchair bound, or use crutches or sticks, makes little difference to that key factor, safety. Disabled access platforms are custom-designed to incorporate a number of features that make using them a simple, risk-free process. It is customary to guard the floor apertures that accept the lift's platforms with surrounds. These may be in smart, shatter-proof toughened glass, though neat, framed opaque panels are available in a number of finishes. Each surround naturally has an opening gate panel.
Low vertical rise access platforms for use by disabled people are electrically powered, and are operated using simple controls that usually consist of panels with push buttons. Behind the scenes, as it were, interlock switches are added to ensure that unsafe situations cannot occur. For example, should the lift's platform not be in perfect alignment with the floor level it is serving, the access gate concerned will remain locked. Similarly, should the lift be at or en route for the first floor level, the ground floor gate will be locked, so that personnel or equipment can't be endangered through being beneath the platform. It is obvious that the gate at the upper level will remain unusable while the platform is at ground level or rising to the first floor.
For a typical installation, an experienced and knowledgeable design team will produce plans that outline in detail the fitment of a disabled access platform that uses existing space in the most efficient manner possible. In addition to the aforementioned surrounds with access gates, bespoke handrails that blend with the existing architecture will be offered. Moreover, the platform floor can be supplied ready to accept the floor covering the customer prefers.
When the design has been approved and installation goes ahead, the disabled access lift can be fitted far more quickly than any alternative provision. Naturally, the installation will be tested for correct operation and British Standard conformability. Thereafter, servicing and maintenance programmes can be arranged to suit the installation - and the customer.
The main attraction here is that, using equipment such as this, it is possible to offer a simple, practicable solution to what can be a costly problem, even in more difficult situations such as those in, for example, a hotel, pub or club.
