What is BS8300 and How Does it Relate to Changing Places?

Written by Ben Hickey
April 29, 2019

If you are looking to install a Changing Places toilet you will have no doubt come across BS8300 and wondered what it has to do with bathrooms. This article is a brief guide to the regulations and how they relate to Changing Places.

What is BS8300?

BS8300:2009+A1:2010 – Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people. Code of practice, to give it its full catchy title, is a British Standard that provides guidelines on how buildings should be designed, constructed and maintained to create accessible and inclusive environments for disabled people.

BS8300 encourages developers to build places that are suitable for everyone to use, particularly the disabled, elderly or those with mobility issues. Everyone should be able to comfortably enter, use and exit a building – including in an emergency such as a fire.

The standard sets out guidelines for architects and builders to incorporate into their buildings in order to be considered BS8300 compliant. These guidelines apply to a huge range of areas including; entrances, steps & ramps, lighting, and even signage.

By offering best-practice recommendations, BS8300 shows good, considered design can help disabled people make the most of their surroundings.

Does BS8300 Cover Toilets?

It does. In some detail too; there are over 40 pages related to sanitary provisions and guidance on how you can ensure that your bathroom facilities are easy to use and welcoming for all types of visitor.

BS8300 specifically recommends that Changing Places toilets should be provided in larger buildings and complexes, such as:

Transport interchanges, railway stations and airports
Motorway services
Sport and leisure facilities
Cultural centres, such as museums and concert halls
Stadiums and large auditoriums
Shopping centres
Key buildings within town centres, e.g. town halls, civic centres and public libraries
Educational establishments
Health facilities, such as hospitals, health centres and community practices

The standard also provides information and guidance on installing Changing Places toilets and the criteria that must be met for a bathroom to be considered a Changing Places toilet.

Download Changing Places information

What is Document M?

If you’ve been reading about BS8300 you will have likely come across ‘Document M’ too. Access to and use of buildings: Approved Document M is used alongside BS8300 to give very specific practical advice on how environments can be built to suit disabled people.

From bathroom sizes to how wide corridors should be, Document M has all the information you need to be able to make your building inclusive and meet the minimum standards that are required by the Equality Act.

Where to Find BS8300 Compliant Toilet Facilities

If you are looking to install a Changing Places toilet, you might feel overwhelmed by the regulations that need to be met and not know where to start. You don’t want to invest in a new facility if it ultimately doesn’t help your visitors and customers.

That’s where we can help. At RISE, we specialise in the design and installation of modular Changing Places facilities and adaptions. We can install one of our modular facilities on your site, completing all ground works and adding the finishing touches. All our facilities are manufactured at our site in South Yorkshire and meet BS8300 requirements, meaning you don’t have to research what needs to go in the toilet – we do all of that for you.

If you don’t have space for one of our BS8300 compliant facilities, not to worry – we can adapt an existing space into a Changing Places facility, ensuring that the new space is compliant with BS8300.

Our planning and design service are all part of the process when you choose us to help make your site more inclusive and accessible.

For more information, please get in touch.