A British company has a total solution to effectively help the leisure industry comply with the new legislation and guidance.
An estimated 80m people in Europe, of which 10m live in the UK, are disabled; the new European Disability Strategy aims to enable them to ‘go about their daily lives like everyone else…removing barriers to equal participation in public life and leisure activities…’, fulfilling the EU’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Strategy follows the introduction of BS8300, which advises multi-occupancy buildings provide up to 15% of bedrooms as accessible, and that buildings to which numbers of the public have access include a specialised Changing Places accessible toilet.
Total Hygiene, the UK’s biggest supplier of disabled toileting solutions, provides an effective means of compliance, via delivery of a fully accessible washroom or Changing Places toilet. Larger than traditional accessible toilets, Changing Places toilets additionally include extra equipment of a height adjustable adult sized changing bench and hoist, in locations including shopping centres, transport hubs, leisure venues….
Total Hygiene can not only provide the design advice, equipment supply, installation and commissioning, and maintenance for a Changing Places toilet, but can make that washroom facility, or alternative accessible toilets, as inclusive as possible by additionally including a Clos-o-Mat (wash and dry) toilet, which meets the needs of anyone who needs the help of a carer to clean them after toileting, and specific Islamic hygiene requirements.
“We all go to toilet an average 8 times a day! Able people take accessing appropriate toilets when ‘out of home’ for granted, but for disabled people, especially those that need the help of at least one carer, many current ‘accessible’ toilets do not meet their needs,” explains Robin Tuffley, Total Hygiene marketing manager.
“The 2012 London Olympics made the need to cater for foreign, including EU and all disabled, visitors front of mind, but it is something our local authorities and leisure sector need to address for the longer term. A fundamental element of the UN Convention is universal design- of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.
“Research also shows that for the average business, disabled customers may already account for up to 20% of the customer base: it therefore makes sound commercial sense to accommodate them, by providing appropriate washroom facilities.”
Total Hygiene is unique in being able to provide, in-house, design advice, supply, install, commissioning and service & maintenance of its equipment, enabling customers to have just one point of contact... Full details of Total Hygiene’s range of options, plus their interface with British Standards and Building Regulations, area available from the company’s website www.clos-o-mat.com