ADA Requirements for Industrial Facility

[glzath]

IBC 2009 Basis
Texas Accessibility Standards

The facility is 45,000 SF of F-1/S-1 production/storage with a 2,200 SF associated area containing restrooms/lockers, a break area, conference room and mechanical/IT rooms. Three shifts with 6 - 7 employees per shift. Administrative offices and additional production areas are located elsewhere on the campus, with no physical attachment to the new building. There will be no public access.

The facility is highly automated with process piping and vessels, on equipment platforming, constant forklift traffic between storage areas and production, and conveyor/robotic pallet and tote loading. There is a manned Control Room, but the occupants are required to also check on equipment, take samples, etc. so they are not parked in that room all shift.

To what extent would the new facility be required to be accessible?

 

[mark handler]

I no longer Know anyone at the TAS offices But
According to the ADA Code of Federal Regulations, anytime your facility falls under one of two categories, Accessibility compliance is necessary.
These categories are as follows:
1. Places of public accommodation (business that have stores, offices, restaurants, hotels, public buildings and parks, government housing, etc)
2. Commercial facilities that need to be accessed by people with disabilities.
These categories include most buildings except private residences and businesses that have neither access nor people with disabilities as employees.
Example: Your Industrial Facility has 10 employees. None of your current employees are disabled and your building does not have a space that would be accessed by your customers or salesmen. Your facility does not need to be ADA compliant. However, If an employee becomes disabled or as soon as an employee is hired that is disabled, your facility (to the extent that it would need to be accessed by such individuals) would need to come into compliance with ADA. This would include your parking lot, restroom facilities, sidewalks, water fountains, public telephones, and, of course, the building itself. Individual workstations are exempt.

 

[ADAguy]

As Mark has noted, it is rare indeed for a T-III facility to "dodge" the long arm of the ADA, it just "depends" to what degree that you want to "resist".

 

[steveray]

At least enter and exit the employee work area and the "common" features....Look at the beginning of Ch 11 for specifics, it is not exempt solely because it is "industrial".

 

[ADAguy]

To what extent are they visited by suppliers, vendors or host product demonstrations?