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Relevant Standards, Codes & Specifications for Braille and Tactile Signs
Current Standard Range BTS Signs supplied by Braille Tactile Signs Aust. are compliant with National Construction Code - NCC 2022 Volume One, Section 15C1 through to Section 15C6, of the Building Code of Australia and Australian Standards AS1428.1. Braille Tactile Signs Aust. Standard Range comply with Australian, New Zealand, British and Canadian standard specifications and design for raised Braille and Tactile Signs.
National Construction Code 2022 - Volume One - Building Code of Australia Class 2 to 9 Buildings - Section D Access and Egress
Braille and Tactile Signs
Specification 15 Braille and Tactile Signs:
This Specification sets out the requirements for the design and installation of braille and tactile signage as required by D3D26, D4D7 and Specification 27.
This clause provides requirements for the location of Braille and Tactile Signs. The correct placement of braille and tactile signs is important in ensuring that they are able to be used. S15C2 describes where required signs are to be located accounting for the range of a person’s reach and sight lines. Where possible, signs are not to be placed on doors, to avoid the hazard of a door being opened onto a person attempting to read the sign. Signs including symbols, numbering and lettering must be designed and installed as follows:
(a) Braille and tactile components of a sign must be located not less than 1200 mm and not higher than 1600 mm above the floor or ground surface.
(b) Signs with single lines of characters must have the line of tactile characters not less than 1250 mm and not higher than 1350 mm above the floor or ground surface.
(c) Signs identifying rooms containing features or facilities listed in D4D7 must be located—
(i) on the wall on the latch side of the door with the leading edge of the sign located between 50 mm and 300 mm from the architrave; and
(ii) where (i) is not possible, the sign may be placed on the door itself.
(d) Signs identifying a door required by E4D5 to be provided with an exit sign must be located—
(i) on the side that faces a person seeking egress; and
(ii) on the wall on the latch side of the door with the leading edge of the sign located between 50 mm and 300 mm from the architrave; and
(iii) where (ii) is not possible, the sign may be placed on the door itself.
(1) Tactile characters must be raised or embossed to a height of not less than 1 mm and not more than 1.5 mm.
(2) Title case must be used for all tactile characters, and—
(a) upper case tactile characters must have a height of not less than 15 mm and not more than 55 mm, except that the upper case tactile characters on a sign identifying a door required by E4D5to be provided with an exit sign must have a height of not less than 20 mm and not more than 55 mm; and
(b) lower case tactile characters must have a minimum height of 50% of the related upper case characters.
(3) Tactile characters, symbols, and the like, must have rounded edges.
(4) The entire sign, including any frame, must have all edges rounded.
(5) The background, negative space or fill of signs must be of matt or low sheen finish.
(6) The characters, symbols, logos and other features on signs must be matt or low sheen finish.
(7) The minimum letter spacing of tactile characters on signs must be 2 mm.
(8) The minimum word spacing of tactile characters on signs must be 10 mm.
(9) The thickness of letter strokes must be not less than 2 mm and not more than 7 mm.
(10) Tactile text must be left justified, except that single words may be centre justified.
(11) Tactile text must be Arial typeface.
The following applies to luminance contrast:
(a) The background, negative space, fill of a sign or border with a minimum width of 5 mm must have a luminance contrast with the surface on which it is mounted of not less than 30%.
(b) Tactile characters, icons and symbols must have a minimum luminance contrast of 30% to the surface on which the characters are mounted.
(c) Luminance contrasts must be met under the lighting conditions in which the sign is to be located.
Braille and tactile signs must be illuminated to ensure luminance contrast requirements are met at all times during which the sign is required to be read.
The following applies to braille:
(a) Braille must be grade 1 braille (uncontracted) in accordance with the criteria set out by the Australian Braille Authority.
(b) Braille must be raised and domed.
(c) Braille must be located 8 mm below the bottom line of text (not including descenders).
(d) Braille must be left justified.
(e) Where an arrow is used in the tactile sign, a solid arrow must be provided for braille readers.
(f) On signs with multiple lines of text and characters, a semicircular braille locator at the left margin must be horizontally aligned with the first line of braille text.
D4 Access for People with a Disability
This Specification sets out the requirements for the design and installation of braille and tactile signage as required by D3D26, D4D7 and Specification 27.
(1) In a building required to be accessible— (a) braille and tactile signage complying with Specification 15 must
(i) incorporate the international symbol of access or deafness, as appropriate, in accordance with AS 1428.1 and identify each—
(A) sanitary facility, except a sanitary facility associated with a bedroom in a Class 1b building or a sole-occupancy unit in a Class 3 or Class 9c building; and
(B) space with a hearing augmentation system; and
(A) “Exit”; and (B) “Level”; and (C) the floor level number or floor level descriptor, or a combination of the two.
(b) signage including the international symbol for deafness in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided within a room containing a hearing augmentation system identifying—
(i) the type of hearing augmentation; and
(ii) the area covered within the room; and
(iii) if receivers are being used and where the receivers can be obtained; and
(c) signage in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided for accessible unisex sanitary facilities to identify if the facility is suitable for left or right-handed use; and
(d) signage to identify an ambulant accessible sanitary facility in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be located on the door of the facility; and
(e) where a pedestrian entrance is not accessible, directional signage incorporating the international symbol of access, in accordance with AS 1428.1, must be provided to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible pedestrian entrance; and
(f) where a bank of sanitary facilities is not provided with an accessible unisex sanitary facility, directional signage incorporating the international symbol of access in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be placed at the location of the sanitary facilities that are not accessible, to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible unisex sanitary facility.
(2) In a building that is subject to F4D12 and is required to be accessible, directional signage complying with Specification 15 to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible adult change facility within that building must be provided at the location of each—
(a) bank of sanitary facilities; and
(b) accessible unisex sanitary facility, other than one that incorporates an accessible adult change facility.
(1) A hearing augmentation system must be provided where an inbuilt amplification system, other than one used only for emergency warning, is installed—
(a) in a room in a Class 9b building; or(b) in an auditorium, conference room, meeting room or room for judicatory purposes; or
(c) at any ticket office, teller’s booth, reception area or the like, where the public is screened from the service provider.
(2) If a hearing augmentation system required by (1) is—
(a) an induction loop, it must be provided to not less than 80% of the floor area of the room or space served by the inbuilt amplification system; or(b) a system requiring the use of receivers or the like, it must be available to not less than 95% of the floor area of the room or space served by the inbuilt amplification system, and the number of receivers provided must not be less than-
(i) if the room or space accommodates up to 500 persons, 1 receiver for every 25 persons or part thereof, or 2 receivers, whichever is the greater; and (ii) if the room or space accommodates more than 500 persons but not more than 1000 persons, 20 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 33 persons or part thereof in excess of 500 persons; and (iii) if the room or space accommodates more than 1000 persons but not more than 2000 persons, 35 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 50 persons or part thereof in excess of 1000 persons; and (iv) if the room or space accommodates more than 2000 persons, 55 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 100 persons or part thereof in excess of 2000 persons.
(3) The number of persons accommodated in the room or space served by an inbuilt amplification system must be calculated according to D2D18.
(4) Any screen or scoreboard associated with a Class 9b building and capable of displaying public announcements must be capable of supplementing any public address system, other than a public address system used for emergency warning purposes only.
(1) For a building required to be accessible, tactile ground surface indicators must be provided to warn people who are blind or have a vision impairment that they are approaching—
(a) a stairway, other than a fire-isolated stairway; and(b) an escalator; and
(c) a passenger conveyor or moving walk; and
(d) a ramp other than a fire-isolated ramp, step ramp, kerb ramp (e) or swimming pool ramp; and
(e) in the absence of a suitable barrier—
(i) an overhead obstruction less than 2 m above floor level, other than a doorway; and (ii) an accessway meeting a vehicular way adjacent to any pedestrian entrance to a building, excluding a pedestrian entrance serving an area referred to in D4D5, if there is no kerb or kerb ramp at that point, except for areas exempted by D4D5.
(2) Tactile ground surface indicators required by (1) must comply with sections 1 and 2 of AS/NZS 1428.4.1.
(3) A hostel for the aged, nursing home for the aged, a residential aged care building, Class 3 accommodation for the aged, Class 9a health-care building or a Class 9c aged care building need not comply with (1)(a) and (d) if handrails incorporating a raised dome button in accordance with AS/NZS 1428.4.1 are provided to warn people who are blind or have a vision impairment that they are approaching a stairway or ramp.
Additional Access Information
D4 Access for People with a Disability
In a building required to be accessible—
(a) every ramp and stairway, except for ramps and stairways in areas exempted by D4D5, must comply with—(ii) for a stairway, except a fire-isolated stairway, clause 11 of AS 1428.1; and (iii) for a fire-isolated stairway, clause 11.1(f) and (g) of AS 1428.1; and (b) every passenger lift must comply with E3D7 and E3D8; and
(c) accessways must have—
(i) passing spaces complying with AS 1428.1 at maximum 20 m intervals on those parts of an accessway where a direct line of sight is not available; and (ii) turning spaces complying with AS 1428.1— (A) within 2 m of the end of accessways where it is not possible to continue travelling along the accessway; and (B) at maximum 20 m intervals along the accessway; and (d) an intersection of accessways satisfies the spatial requirements for a passing and turning space; and
(e) a passing space may serve as a turning space; and
(f) a ramp complying with AS 1428.1 or a passenger lift need not be provided to serve a storey or level other than the entrance storey in a Class 5, 6, 7b or 8 building—
(i) containing not more than 3 storeys; and (ii) with a floor area for each storey, excluding the entrance storey, of not more than 200 m2; and (g) clause 7.4.1(a) of AS 1428.1 does not apply and is replaced with ‘the pile height or pile thickness shall not exceed 11 mm and the carpet backing thickness shall not exceed 4 mm’; and
(h) the carpet pile height or pile thickness dimension, carpet backing thickness dimension and their combined dimension shown in Figure 8 of AS 1428.1 do not apply and are replaced with 11 mm, 4 mm and 15 mm respectively.
The following areas are not required to be accessible:
(a) An area where access would be inappropriate because of the particular purpose for which the area is used.(b) An area that would pose a health or safety risk for people with a disability.
(c) Any path of travel providing access only to an area exempted by (a) or (b).
Where fixed seating is provided in a Class 9b assembly building, wheelchair seating spaces complying with AS 1428.1 must be provided in accordance with the following:
(a) The number and grouping of wheelchair seating spaces must be in accordance with Table D4D10.(b) In a cinema—
(i) with not more than 300 seats — wheelchair seating spaces must not be located in the front row of seats; and (ii) with more than 300 seats — not less than 75% of required wheelchair seating spaces must be located in rows other than the front row of seats.
(1) Not less than 1 means of accessible water entry/exit in accordance with Specification 16 must be provided for each swimming pool required by D4D2 to be accessible.
(2) An accessible entry/exit must be by means of—
(a) a fixed or movable ramp and an aquatic wheelchair; or(b) a zero depth entry and an aquatic wheelchair; or
(c) a platform swimming pool lift and an aquatic wheelchair; or
(d) a sling-style swimming pool lift.
(3) Where a swimming pool has a perimeter of more than 70 m, at least one accessible water entry/exit must be provided by a means specified in (2)(a), (b) or (c).
(4) Latching devices on gates and doors forming part of a swimming pool safety barrier need not comply with AS 1428.1.
On an accessway—
(a) a series of connected ramps must not have a combined vertical rise of more than 3.6 m; and(b) a landing for a step ramp must not overlap a landing for another step ramp or ramp.
On an accessway, where there is no chair rail, handrail or transom, all frameless or fully glazed doors, sidelights and any glazing capable of being mistaken for a doorway or opening, must be clearly marked in accordance with AS 1428.1.
Specification 14 Non-required Stairways, Ramps and Escalators
(1) This Specification contains the requirements to allow non-required stairways, ramps or escalators to connect any number of storeys in a Class 5 or 6 building.
(2) The requirements do not apply in an atrium or outside a building.
An escalator, moving walkway or non-required non-fire-isolated stairway or pedestrian ramp must comply with the following:
(a) The escalator, walkway, stairway or ramp must be bounded by a shaft of—(i) construction with an FRL of not less than 120/120/120 if loadbearing or –/120/120 if non-loadbearing and, if of lightweight construction, must comply with Specification 6; or (ii) glazed construction with an FRL of not less than –/60/30 protected by a wall wetting system in accordance with S31C2 to S31C6.
(b) The void of each non-required stairway, ramp or escalator must not connect more than 2 storeys.
(c) Rising and descending escalators, walkways, stairways and ramps within one shaft must be separated by construction with an FRL of not less than –/60/30.
(d) Openings into the shaft must be protected by fire doors with an FRL not less than –/60/30.
(e) When the fire door is in the closed position, the floor or any covering over the floor beneath the fire door must not be combustible.
(f) Fire doors must be fitted with smoke seals and the assembly must be tested in accordance with AS 1530.4.
(g) Fire doors must be—
(i) closed and locked for security reasons; or(ii) held open and be automatic closing.
(h) Smoke detectors must be installed on both sides of the opening, not more than 1.5 m horizontal distance from the opening.
(i) In the closed position, fire doors must be openable on a single hand downward action or horizontal pushing action on a single device within the shaft and by key only from outside the shaft.
(j)A warning sign must be displayed where it can readily be seen outside the shaft near all fire doors opening to the shaft, and must comply with the details and dimensions of Figure S14C2.
(l) Materials attached to any wall, ceiling or floor within the shaft must comply with Specification 7.
(m) Emergency lighting must be installed in the shaft in accordance with E4D4.
(n) No step or ramp may be closer to the threshold of the doorway than the width of the door leaf.
