Accessibility

Canopies & Walkways

Accessibility

Introduction

One of the keys to effective management of refuse, recycling and safe storage of mobility equipment, particularly within a housing environment, is ensuring that the facilities can be accessed and used safely by everyone. For many residents, particularly older people or those with limited strength or mobility, using existing facilities may well be quite challenging.

Accessible Bin Storage

The loading heights of all standard refuse bins fall way outside the acceptable lifting heights of a wheelchair user, and when this is combined with the need to lift a heavy bin lid with one hand and throw the bag of rubbish in the bin with the other, this simple task can become a completely insurmountable obstacle.

metroSTOR bin housings enclose the bins so that they can be left with the lid open, facilitating a two-hand lift, and they can also be specified with a unique wheelchair-accessible opening, which when used in conjunction with a drop-door bin reduces the loading height from 1.2m to 0.8m.

Identifying the correct bin for refuse and the relevant recycling stream can also be challenging for the partially-sighted, and the use of colour-coded housings with large, clear and easily-recognisable graphics help address this, and can also be supplemented with braille signage as well if required.

Accessible Mobility Storage

An increasing number of residents with limited mobility will choose to purchase a mobility scooter so that they can continue to live independently and maintain a quality of life that they would not have otherwise, and it is estimated that there are now around half a million of these vehicles across the UK.

Unfortunately a number of fire incidents have occurred due to faulty wiring or components and overcharging, some of which have sadly led to fatalities.

Our mobility scooter storage and charging units are meticulously designed to significantly lower the risks of fire in accordance with The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) guidance, as well as provide easy and secure operation for all residents.

Promoting Accessibility