The British Standard BS 8300 :2009 requires that all new Accessible Toilet (formerly named Disabled Toilet) installations in public, commercial and industrial buildings are fitted with an emergency assistance alarm. Several manufacturers have produced equipment for this purpose and we will look at a few.
The basic principles are very simple - locally within and outside the toilet, a few devices are fitted for triggering, notification and reset of the alarm. These should be within reach of the user from the toilet bowl position, or from a wheelchair.
The Ceiling Pull Switch must be located so that it can be operated from the toilet and from an adjacent floor area. The ceiling pull switch is supplied with two G pull toggles, one should be set a height between 800 – 1000mm & the other set 100mm above the floor level, to allow the cord to be pulled should the user fall.
The Overdoor Light / Sounder unit should be located so that it is easily seen and heard by people able to give assistance and indicates where help is required, normally above the door outside the toilet in question. The unit may be ceiling or wall mounted. This is fitted to attract attention to the location of the alarm, and to help differentiate the specific location should there be more than one such toilet within the vicinity. The overdoor light is generally supplied with a triangular lens and installed such that it can be seen from a side view. Where several such toilets are available, remote indication at a staffed area should also be fitted which provides specific location information.
The Reset Point should be located inside the toilet area in a location that is reachable from both a wheelchair and the toilet, to allow the user to reset the alarm, should it have been triggered in error.
The reset button can be operated by staff to clear the alarm once they are in attendance.
Depending on the system used, there may be a local power supply and control unit (with in-built backup battery), often with an output for remote displays. Often the local control units are installed out of public view. Alternatively a remote display might also supply the power for each toilet alarm. Below is an image of typical locations of a local toilet kit - Part numbers are for the C-Tec range of kit, also pictured above.
Operation
When the Ceiling Pull Switch is activated within the toilet area, the local controller and/or remote indicator's audible sounder & LED will operate. The Overdoor Light / Sounder will also operate simultaneously. The call is reset at the Reset Point within the toilet. Calls can be reset or (on some systems) acknowledged at the controller or remote indicator depending on system configuration. Where the feature is available, acknowledged calls automatically return after 120 seconds until reset at the Reset Point within the toilet.
Cabling
A mains electrical power supply is required for the local call controller - typically a fused connection unit with a 3 amp fuse fitted. 3 core mains flex to the controller supply terminals.
For the kit shown above, intruder alarm cable is best suited to link the equipment. A minimum of 4-core alarm cable can be used between the devices.
Call controller relay is often used to link to remote indicators or alarm systems to give precise location information in a staffed area. In the case of the remote indicator below, the unit requires it's own mains supply and switches 0 volts DC through the call controller relay to light the zonal LED on the indicator, and trigger a buzzer. For this specific indicator it is required that staff attend the toilet itself to reset the system and indicator. Zones can be labelled with location information.
tools required
A selection of hand tools such as side cutters, terminal sized slotted screwdriver and No.2 Pozidrive screwdriver would be advantageous. Depending on your install method, drills and conduit tools may also be required.
Always work safely around live mains powered equipment. Follow safe isolation procedures when working on powered systems.