by Brianna Crandall — February 24, 2017 — New standards in accessibility are being set for air travelers with the opening of a new facility at Bristol Airport, says Clos-o-Mat, U.K.-based supplier and installer of away-from-home assisted accessible toilet facilities. The airport selected Clos-o-Mat to supply one of its Changing Places toilets in the main terminal. The toilet goes beyond basic requirements in its suitability for use by people with disabilities, by offering equipment above and beyond that specified in British Standards.
In addition to the Changing Places-compliant extra space (3 m x 4 m); height-adjustable, adult-sized changing bench; and ceiling track hoist, Bristol Airport includes a Palma Vita wash-and-dry toilet.
In addition to the extra space (3 m x 4 m); height-adjustable, adult-sized changing bench; and ceiling track hoist that are key to compliant Changing Places facilities, the airport’s toilet further includes a Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita wash-and-dry toilet in place of a conventional peninsular WC. All the equipment was supplied by Clos-o-Mat, for install by Whitehead Building Services.
Bristol Airport’s Phil Holder commented:
We want to make Bristol Airport accessible to all, and we hope this new area will encourage less mobile passengers and their carers to travel more.
Clos-o-Mat’s Changing Places Project Manager Kelvin Grimes added:
Bristol Airport has been ranked No. 1 in the U.K. in customer satisfaction. That the airport has now included a Changing Places, and one that exceeds standards, will hopefully help maintain that position, particularly where disabled travelers and their families, carers are concerned. Up to 14 million people can’t use conventional wheelchair-accessible toilets. Changing Places, with the extra space and equipment, mean they can do things the rest of us take for granted — including going to the loo while waiting for a plane!
To our knowledge, Bristol is only the second U.K. airport to go beyond the British Standard for a Changing Places and further include the wash-and-dry toilet, which further helps the user’s dignity, hygiene, cleanliness.
Under latest Building Regulations and good practice guidelines, a Changing Places toilet is “desirable” in buildings to which numbers of the public have access. Since their introduction a decade ago, over 900 have been opened across the U.K. Under British Standards (BS8300:2009), a Changing Places toilet is in addition to conventional (Building Regulations Document M) wheelchair-accessible toilets, and provides 12 sq m of space, with additional equipment including an adult-sized height-adjustable changing bench and ceiling track hoist.
Clos-o-Mat supplies fully accessible toilets in domestic environments and “away from home,” including a substantial number of Changing Places facilities. Clos-o-Mat has already supplied Changing Places toilets to Gatwick, Heathrow, East Midlands and Birmingham Airports. The company delivers in-house design advice, supply, installation, commissioning, project management and maintenance across the ambit of accessible toileting equipment, including the Clos-o-Mat automatic wash-and-dry toilet. Clos-o-Mat has a raft of downloadable information on its Web site including white papers, 2D and 3D CAD drawings, room renders and videos.
