Approved Document M Details:

Our lead article referred to the Approved Document M. Below we detail the sections that are particularly relevant:

2.12 A wheelchair user needs sufficient space and time to manoeuvre into a lift and, once in, should not be restricted for space. He or she should also be able to reach the controls which summon and direct the lift. People with sensory impairments should, in some circumstances, be advised of the floor that the lift has reached. Measures should be adopted which give a disabled person time to enter the lift to reduce the likelihood of contact with closing doors.

2.14 Requirement M2 will be satisfied if a passenger lift:

1. has a clear landing at least 1500mm wide and at least 1500mm long in front of its entrance:

2. has a door or doors which provide a clear opening width of at least 800mm:

3. has a car whose width is at least 1100mm and whose length is at least 1400mm:

4. has landing and car controls which are not less than 900mm and not more than 1200mm above the landing and the car floor at a distance of at least 400mm from the front wall:

5. is accompanied by suitable tactile indication on the landing and adjacent to the lift call button to identify the storey in question:

6. which serves more than three floors, is provided with suitable tactile indication on or adjacent to lift buttons within the car to confirm the floor selected:

7. which serves more than three storeys, is provided with visual indication and with voice indication of the floor reached: and

8. incorporates a signalling system which gives 5 seconds notification that the lift is answering a landing call and a "dwell time" of 5 seconds before its doors begin to close after they are fully open: the system may be overridden by a door re-activating device which relies on photo-eye or infra-red methods, but not a door edge pressure system, provided that the minimum time for a lift door to remain fully open is 3 seconds.