Hearing aid loop legislation......
ChurchPA has the relevant expertise to guide you through
the legislation regarding induction loop installation. We
are also skilled at installing these systems, ensuring that
you have a highly satisfactory system, which is almost invisible
to the eye. Contact
us and we will gladly discuss the needs of your church
with you.
Please select the legislation you are interested in :
BS8300 (2002)
The Disability Discrimination Act
Building Regulations (1992)
Rest assured that loop installations are straight forward,
inexpensive, and will not disrupt your church schedule (most
installations take one day). ChurchPA is ideally placed to
assess your church premises and to advise you as to the best
course of action - please
contact us!
BS8300 (2002)
This is the code of practice for new buildings and their
approaches to meet the needs of disabled people.
The standard states that "a hearing enhancement
system, using induction loop, infra-red or radio transmission,
should be installed in rooms and spaces used for meetings,
lectures, classes, performances, spectator sports or films,
and used at service and reception counters where background
noise level is high or where glazed screens are used"
(9.3.2). It pinpoints various buildings for consideration,
including churches, crematoria, as well as educational and
cultural buildings.
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The Disability
Discrimination Act
The aim of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) is to
stop discrimination against disabled people including the
hearing impaired. The Act was recently extended to cover education
in schools and colleges.
Service providers, including organisations offering services
to the general public, must take 'reasonable' adjustments
to ensure that they do not unlawfully discriminate against
disabled people.
Under the act, 'reasonable' adjustments include the provision
of of various auxiliary aids, including induction loop systems,
to enable a deaf or hard of hearing person to access goods,
facilities or services available to the general public. As
from October 2004, service providers now are
required to install permanent induction loops and infra-red
systems where it is impossible or unreasonably difficult for
a deaf or hard of hearing person to make use of a service.
It is also not enough simply to install an induction loop
system - it must be properly maintained and staff must know
how to use it. (5.13)
ChurchPA recommends that churches take steps now to ensure
that they meet their obligations. Contact
us immediately!
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Building Regulations
(1992)
Current building regulations state that newly erected or
substantially reconstructed non-domestic buildings must provide
aids for the hearing impaired. The aim is to enable both members
of the public and employees to play a full part in meetings.
Areas requiring cover include reception areas, auditoria
and meeting rooms in excess of 100 meters squared.
The regulations state that a person with a hearing disability
must receive a signal some 20dB above that received by a person
with normal hearing. This system should also be able to suppress
reverberation and other environmental noise.
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Contact ChurchPA
if you have any questions regarding induction loop systems. |
