Why has the standard been revised ?
The B/559 committee responsible for creating and revising British Standards regularly review any published standards and realized the BS 8300 Standard had become outdated. In many areas it did not support the need for accessible environments for disabled people.
The committee therefore decided to revise the standard using external experts with specialist knowledge of accessibility and individual requirements. Said specialists were then invited to attend the preliminary discussions to offer support and guidance to ensure that any revision made had the individual at the forefront of any subsequent decisions.
Aims of the new revision
One of the key elements to the BS 8300 revision was to guarantee inclusivity for all and create fully accessible environments. There was a clear need to take the onus away from the individual and ensure that service providers understand their responsibility to offer complete accessibility for all. The driving statement throughout the revision process being: “it is the environment that is the disabling factor not the individual”. New technologies, trends and design standards have therefore been introduced into the BS 8300 revision, to ultimately create the perfect design of an accessible and inclusive build environment.
What has changed ?
The revised Standard contains updates for many areas of accessibility for both building processes and design. The complete standard has been divided to two parts; BS 8300-1 cover all external accessibility issues and BS 8300-2 covers all internal issues. For the first time ever, a completely new Annex has been implemented within the BS 8300-2 standard to include Induction Loop Systems.
This annex covers Induction Loop specification, provision, location variations, application, best practice installation and maintenance as well as staff testing & training. Consequently, ensuring improved availability of suitable working induction loop equipment from the service provider to the individual.
In addition to the general guidance in the main body of the standard (13.2-13.5) the Annex covers the requirement for reactive and preventative maintenance of Induction Loop systems using a provider with specialist knowledge, proactive staff testing of Induction Loop systems and knowledge of said systems to ensure staff are able to engage with individuals.
Table D.1 gives specific guidance on where induction loops should be used and covers a range of examples including counter loops, integrated and large area systems. Direction is also given to microphone input and the various sound sources that can be selected for particular applications. The table overleaf shows part of the new Annex of where Induction Loop Systems are to be used.
How does the new revision affect me ?
The new revised standard provides greater clarity on the appropriate level of provision and installation for Induction Loop Systems. Essentially any project you may be involved with, the new revised standard of Induction Loop integration cannot be ignored. This includes examples of various environments and sectors such as:
- Help and Refuge Points, Seating & Waiting Areas
- Reception/Check out desks, Ticket Offices, Points of Sales, Checkouts
- Interview rooms, Board Rooms, Function Rooms/Halls
- Places of Worship
- Public Sector – Educational, Cultural and Scientific Buildings
- Sporting Venues
- Cinema, Theatres & Exhibition centres
