Our Voltimum Experts answer your questions on a daily basis in our Technical Expertise area. This Question of the Day, concerning office skirting trunking and the DDA, is answered by MK Electric:
Answer: The Disability Discrimination Act concerns 'Service Providers' - that is to say that service providers are companies, or organisations, that offer goods, services or facilities to the public in the UK. The following categories are included:
- Financial services - banks, building societies and insurance companies.
- Health services including hospitals and Doctors surgeries.
- Courts, solicitors and advice centres.
- Cinemas and theatres.
- Transport facilities (but not the vehicles).
- Shops, hotels and restaurants.
- Sports centres, sports grounds and parks.
- Private education.
- Schools, colleges and universities when used for non-educational activities.
Whereas the previous stages of the act have concentrated on changing practices, policies or procedures and providing auxiliary aids to help the disabled, this final stage now calls for physical changes to be made to properties if a feature makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use services.
It could be seen to be unlikely that a member of the public would have need to use the electrical supplies that would be contained within a cable management system installed at skirting level and, if this was required, assistance could be given to enable the usage.
More detail for the arrangement and accessibility of electrical accessories can be found within Approved Document M of the Building Regulations for England & Wales - Access To And Use Of Buildings.
Paragraphs 4.25 - 4.30 set out design considerations and the provisions for meeting them in the relation to switches, outlets and controls. Within the design considerations, it is recognised that factors that affect the use of switches, outlets and controls are the ease of operation, visibility, height and freedom from obstruction. A provision for meeting this arrangement is that socket outlets and telecommunication points are located between 400-1000mm above the floor, although the design consideration recognises there will be exceptions to the height requirement - note that the example given is for floor sockets and not skirting trunking.
One method for compliance with these heights could be to use products, such as desk modules, so that power and data supplies are available at the desk, or by the use of adaptors to enable connection of power and data accessories to the skirting trunking system. This would enable these accessories to be mounted at a higher level.
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