Kee Safety developed its Kee Access® range of cast iron fittings to help satisfy the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and Building Regulation Approved Document M when designing and constructing balustrading and handrailing for commercial and public buildings.

Under the terms of the Equality Act 2010, reasonable adjustments need to be made to public and commercial establishments to overcome physical barriers which prevent disabled access. The Building Regulations recommend an outside diameter tube size for installations of between 40mm-45mm. Kee Access® components are specifically designed to give a smooth handrail with size 7 tube (outside diameter 42.4mm) ensuring compatibility with the regulations.

Part of the company’s Safety Components range, Kee Access® incorporates a total of nineteen special fittings and is supplied with versatility, ease and speed of installation in mind. These fittings are ideal as a retrofit solution, because the range includes an “Add-on” offset fitting to allow a new handrail to be added onto an existing structure of appropriate size. The Kee Access® range can be easily augmented with components from the established Kee Klamp® range to create a complete, cost-effective answer to the Equality Act requirements. To satisfy the “not cold to the touch” criteria set out in BS 8300: 2005, these galvanised fittings are available with the additional option of powder coating in all RAL colours.

Given the requirements of the Equlity Act and Building Regulations, the building trade should aim to create a handrail system which children, the elderly, the disabled and even able-bodied adults can benefit. ‘Safety is Kee’ and thanks to innovations like Kee Access®, they can meet this challenge in a very cost-effective way.