Accessible Delivery Access Benefits All

What were the issues?

The staff at a large supermarket filling station had asked for a ramp at the front entrance to help them to get the stock delivery trolleys into the shop.  A local firm had provided a quote for the installation of a metal ramp with metal handrails and the supermarket wanted to ensure that the solution that was being proposed would also be suitable for disabled customers.  The store manager was insistent that stepped and ramped access to the store entrance were provided.  Virosafe was asked to undertake an Accessibility Survey to identify any issues with the proposed ramp. 

Our solution:

Virosafe identified a number of issues:

• the installation of a metal ramp would put anyone using it with diesel on their shoes at risk of slipping
• staff were having to walk into oncoming traffic in order to negotiate the journey from the store to the petrol station with stock filled trolleys
• the concrete area around the cash machine that was already installed at the front of the petrol station had not been levelled off properly causing a trip hazard for users

Virosafe offered a solution that would solve all the problems identified in the report whilst also providing safe and accessible access for staff and customers.  This involved:

• replacing the kerbs with dropped kerbs on the existing crossing used by staff, in order to make it level
• relaying the pathway to facilitate a sensible gradient
• installing a landing bay which meant that staff were then directed by the path around to the side of the filling station and ultimately onto another newly built ramp which brought them around to the front of the store
• reducing the level across the front of the store to the same level of the forecourt to remove the problem with the trip hazard around the cash machine
• building a ramp to the main entrance (which included a man chamber within the ramp), with a landing at the entrance to the store
• building a set of steps off the landing to the forecourt for able bodied people which had to be designed in such a way that the guard rail prevented anyone in a wheelchair coming out of the shop overshooting the landing and falling down the steps, but still left enough room for able-bodied people to walk through

The outcome …

The solution provided:

• safe access for staff with stock filled trolleys
• a ramp for wheelchair users
• an accessible night pay facility and cash machine

and all at almost the same cost as the original quote for the metal ramp.

An extremely complicated set of issues were resolved with some careful consideration and creative thinking.