Ambulant & Accessible Sanitary Facilities
What is the difference between ambulant and accessible sanitary facilities?
Ambulant toilets are specifically designed for those with ambulant disabilities that do not require the extra space that is provided by accessible toilets. Primarily, they are for those that do not require the use of a wheelchair, for example, those with sensory loss, arthritis or require the use of a walking frame.
Accessible toilets are specifically designed to provide enough space to accommodate wheelchair access and assistance when transferring from a wheelchair to a toilet. Accessible toilets include features such as lower mirrors and washbasins, contrasting toilet seat colour, grab rails and braille signage.
When are they required within a cafe/restaurant?
Whilst each building classification represents different ratio requirements for the provision of general sanitary facilities including accessible and/or ambulant facilities, below is general example of the requirements for a cafe/restaurant use building.
Where you have less than 20 patrons, there is no requirement to provide sanitary facilities for patron use, and where you have less than 10 staff you must provide at least one unisex accessible toilet (as a minimum) unless it can be demonstrated that the back of house area is hazardous and exempted from access under Clause D3.4 of the BCA. This is assessed on a case by case basin only.
Where you have more than 20 and less than 50 patrons, general requirements include at minimum of one unisex accessible toilet, one male and one female closet pan which must be ambulant compliant. Additional facilities are not required for staff as they can be incorporated into the provided patron sanitary facilities (separate staff sanitary facilities are not required) .
Where you exceed 50 patrons, any additional sanity facilities provided for patrons only need to be standard cubicles.