How The New NCC 2022 Aligns AS 1428.1 Design For Access And Mobility Standards 2009 and 2021 Versions

Over 4 million people in Australia experience disability. That’s around 1 in 5 Australians, and many more of us will experience a disability at some stage in our lives, either permanent or temporary, as we age or due to injury. Overall building design, especially features such as doorways, ramps, and thresholds, can have an impact on the accessibility of buildings for people who use a wheelchair, or those with ambulatory or sensory disabilities.

The new edition of the NCC (2022) comes into effect on 1 May in most states and references AS 1428.1: 2009. This means that a Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Solution using a referenced document would have to use 2009 version, even while there is a newer version available. However, we are already starting to see contracts calling up the new AS 1428.1: 2021. You may be able to use this newer version of the referenced document but only as part of a Performance Solution.

If the contract does not have an express clause to deal with the discrepancies of legal requirements, it becomes a question of working out what the parties, to the particular contract, were most likely to have intended. This could also mean having to comply with the more onerous elements from either Standard. We have produced a summary of the key elements from both Standards with new additions and modifications noted.

Continuous Accessible Path of Travel

The AS 1428.1 Standard series requires that new buildings provide continuous accessible paths of travel (and circulation spaces) for people using wheelchairs and for people with ambulatory or sensor impairment.

A continuous accessible path of travel is defined as an uninterrupted route to or within a premises or a building which provides access to all services and facilities. It should not incorporate any step, stairway, turnstile, revolving door, escalator, hazard, or other impediment which would prevent it from being safely negotiated by people with disabilities.

AS 1428.1: 2021 has been updated in several areas and with key aspects below.

Visual Aspects

Section 3.6 covers visual indicators and states that there must be a 75 mm high continuous contrasting line (solid/opaque) located between 900 mm-1000 mm from finished floor level. It must have a 30% luminescence contrast to the floor and other surfaces within 2 m of the glazing. The New Addition is a note stating that any logos must be above or below this 75 mm strip and not part of it, and when using tinted glass the contrast can be against the tint not the floor beyond.

Section 10.1 covers doorway identification, and outlines that all doorways shall have a minimum luminance contrast of 30% provided between all of the following combinations:

• the door leaf and jamb;

• the door leaf and adjacent wall;

• the door leaf and architrave; and

• the door jamb and adjacent wall.

In all cases there must be a 50 mm minimum width for the area of luminance contrast.

AGWA’s Key Message on Luminance Contrast (released June 2019) includes the following extract ‘it should not be the responsibility of the window supplier to decide what contrasting colour is to be applied, and window suppliers should note on any quote or order that compliance with AS 1428 is the responsibility of the purchaser’.

Thresholds, Grates and Ramps:

Section 4.2 discusses the abutment of surfaces and changes in level; the continuous accessible path of travel (and any associated circulation spaces) must have a slip resistant surface. The texture of the surface must be traversable by people who use a wheelchair and those with an ambulant or sensory disability. You must address the risk of a slip, trip or fall where one surface meets another or where a vertical change in level occurs, by ensuring that any change in level is no more than 3 mm, or, where splayed at no more than 45° up to 5 mm.

Section 4.4 covers the use of grates and within our industry this specifically would be around threshold drains. New provisions have been introduced requiring circular openings to be no greater than 13 mm in diameter and slotted openings to be no greater than 13 mm x 150 mm. Linear openings must be oriented to be transverse to the direction of travel unless they are under 8 mm and then orientation is optional.

This clause could cause confusion as it potentially allows linear openings which exceed the 13 mm limit applied to slotted openings, but does not put an upper limit on size. AGWA is seeking clarification from Standards Australia.

Section 7.5 covers threshold ramps. These can often present access problems for people who use wheelchairs and those with ambulant disabilities causing difficulty lifting their feet. If a threshold at the entry is unavoidable, a threshold ramp must be provided so that a small change in level ensures a relatively comfortable access solution into the premises.

Threshold ramps must have a maximum of 35 mm in rise (height), be maximum 280 mm in length, maximum gradient of 1:8, be located within 20 mm of the door leaf and the edges tapered at a min 45° when the ramp does not abut a wall. A new addition is they are to have sharp transitions at the top, bottom and edges.

As a commentary on this, door sills meeting the requirements of AS 1428.1 may not meet the minimum Water Penetration Resistance (WPR) of AS 2047. In such situations, the building design should provide sufficient protection against the ingress of water through an alternative solution; AGWA recommends highlighting any such doors that may be affected within your quotation and any shop drawings.

Door Panels and Opening Controls

Section 3.7 of the Standard has a new addition of notes prescribing minimum sizes and location settings for glazed ‘viewing’ panels within a door. See Figure 36a of the Standard for details. It is unclear what the distinction is between a viewing panel and a glazed door.

Perhaps the biggest change comes within clause 10.4.2 around the design and performance of door controls.

Door handles and related hardware shall be in accordance with the following:

A. Allows the door to be unlocked and opened with one hand. The finish shall be non-slip for a person unable to grip the handle during operation.

B. Updated Notation throughout the operation the clearance between centre grip point on the handle and backplate/ door face (whichever closer) shall be between 35 mm-45 mm.

C. D type handles shall be used on sliding doors.

D. Snibs to have a lever arm no less than 45 mm.

E. Updated Notation as previously only on doors fitted with a self-closing device. The force required at the door handle to operate the door to be no more than:

a.20N to initiate;

b.20N to swing or slide;

c. 20N to hold open between 60°-90°

F. New Addition other than on fire/ smoke doors any fitted closers shall be fitted with an adjustable delayed action or hold open function

G. If the door is not self-closing, then on an outward opening door it shall be fitted with a horizontal handrail/pull bar on the closing face. Please see Figure 36b of the Standard for more detail.

Locations for the opening and locking controls on doors is covered in clause 10.4.3 for all situations outside those prescribed by the relevant statutory authority (early childcare, swimming pool barriers or similar) the location of door controls shall be above a level surface and:

A. Controls being grasped/turned/pushed/ pulled shall be between 900 mm-1100 mm from finished floor level and with the New Addition that they are 500 mm or more from an internal corner.

B. Controls being pushed in the direction of travel (panic bars on egress routes for example) shall be between 900 mm-1200 mm from finished floor level.

C. Controls that only require touch shall be between 900 mm-1250 mm from finished floor level and 500 mm or more from an internal corner.

D. Sliding door handles shall be 60 mm or more from jamb/doorstop when in the open and closed positions.

E. Manual controls to power-operated doors shall be located on the continuous accessible path of travel no closer than 500 mm from an internal corner and with the Modified Notation of being between 500 mm-1000 mm from the arc of the hinged door leaf in any position or clear of a surface-mounted sliding door in the open position.

Section 10.2 states that there must be an 850 mm minimum clear opening width as measured from the face of the opened door to the door stop and that it must consider any door stops or handles. For double doors this width applies to the active leaf. The New Addition is that door reveals must be a maximum 300 mm in depth in all situations and a diagram for Pivot Doors has been added.

In summary, there is a lot of consistency within these two Standards but if you are in a situation where you need to work out the more onerous elements, then hopefully this guidance will help. The key elements we have noted in the 2021 version are around the operating force on manual operation doors, the logos being outside the 75 mm strip, the slotted dimensions on threshold grates, the maximum 300 mm door reveal depth, the updated dimensions for control hardware and the viewing panel sizes.

As always if you have a particular query, you can reach out to the AGWA technical team at technical@agwa.com.au