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Directional signage at truck loading docks

Mr. Inspector

Mr. Inspector

SAWHORSE
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
4,104
Location
Poconos/eastern PA
2015 IBC
1111.2 Directional signage. Directional signage indicating
the route to the nearest like accessible element shall be provided
at the following locations. These directional signs shall
include the International Symbol of Accessibility and sign
characters shall meet the visual character requirements in
accordance with ICC A117.1.
1. Inaccessible building entrances.

Inspecting a large 1.5 million sq ft warehouse. Only one accessible entrance, two accessible egress doors (one is exit only with accessible egress stairs) and 45 doors/stairs next to truck loading docks. Do every one of these 45 stairways to the doors next to the loading docks need a directional sign at the bottom of the stairway to the accessible entrances?
 
Nope... these doors are presumably not intended to serve as a public entry. They are intended for the use of the truck drivers and on-site persons performing loading/unloading. Call them what they are....service doors, not entrances.

The primary parking lot, the lot used by staff and for the public visiting the warehouse, should have an apparent accessible route to the building.
 
Ty J. said:
Nope... these doors are presumably not intended to serve as a public entry. They are intended for the use of the truck drivers and on-site persons performing loading/unloading. Call them what they are....service doors, not entrances.
Click to expand...

The code section above doesn't say anything about "public" entrances. Where do you get that? In section 1007.10 does it mean the directional signs for exits that are inaccessible only need to be at "public" exits too?

Also #2 in the same section says you need directional signs at "Inaccessible public toilets and bathing facilities". Since they actually say "public" here I would think they would use it under #1 too if they mean only the inaccessible "public" entrance need to .have directional signs.

Thoughts?
 
Ty...Even your fist "restricted" entrance needs to be accessible...

1105.1.3 Restricted entrances. Where restricted
entrances are provided to a building or facility, at least one
restricted entrance to the building or facility shall be
accessible.
 
Rick18071 said:
The code section above doesn't say anything about "public" entrances. Where do you get that? In section 1007.10 does it mean the directional signs for exits that are inaccessible only need to be at "public" exits too?

Also #2 in the same section says you need directional signs at "Inaccessible public toilets and bathing facilities". Since they actually say "public" here I would think they would use it under #1 too if they mean only the inaccessible "public" entrance need to .have directional signs.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

steveray said:
Ty...Even your fist "restricted" entrance needs to be accessible...

1105.1.3 Restricted entrances. Where restricted
entrances are provided to a building or facility, at least one
restricted entrance to the building or facility shall be
accessible.
Click to expand...
Guys...I get it. But use common sense here. These doors will be used by truck drivers and the crews loading them. They are not intended to serve as an entrance to the building, but as a service door.

I agree, what I have posted does not follow the code explicitly, but it applies common sense and a bit of reason.

Besides that, if you put signs at each of the 45 stairs/doors, do you also need an accessible path to the entryway that provides accessible use? Good luck routing the accessible route through the loading dock area. You would end up with thousands of feet of striped crosswalks within a semi-truck loading area.
 
There's a lot of things that don't make sense to me in the code. Here in PA the state is very strict on accessibility and you can lose your certs if not inspecting to the letter of the accessibility code.
 
Ty J. said:
I agree, what I have posted does not follow the code explicitly, but it applies common sense and a bit of reason.
Click to expand...

If people had common sense and a bigger if common sense were a part of the Code....Chapter 11 of the California Building Code wouldn't be 219 pages long. There's a code for the arc of the water coming from a spout of a drinking fountain.

Common sense you say? Try the polar opposite.
 
Considering the current state, drinking fountains might as well be eliminated from the codes. Coming to you soon: Covid-19 codes. The occupant load is going to be way different.
 
Ty J. said:
Guys...I get it. But use common sense here. These doors will be used by truck drivers and the crews loading them. They are not intended to serve as an entrance to the building, but as a service door.

I agree, what I have posted does not follow the code explicitly, but it applies common sense and a bit of reason.

Besides that, if you put signs at each of the 45 stairs/doors, do you also need an accessible path to the entryway that provides accessible use? Good luck routing the accessible route through the loading dock area. You would end up with thousands of feet of striped crosswalks within a semi-truck loading area.
Click to expand...

Careful. striped crosswalks are not required by code.

Brings up another interesting question, would accessible loading docks be required, as in 5% to accommodate disabled drivers (they do exist)
 
ADAguy said:
Careful. striped crosswalks are not required by code.

Brings up another interesting question, would accessible loading docks be required, as in 5% to accommodate disabled drivers (they do exist)
Click to expand...
In Washington, we have an amendment that actually requires stripped crosswalks.

1106.6 Location
Accessible parking spaces shall be located on the shortest accessible route of travel from adjacent parking to an accessible building entrance. In parking facilities that do not serve a particular building, accessible parking spaces shall be located on the shortest route to an accessible pedestrian entrance to the parking facility. Where buildings have multiple accessible entrances with adjacent parking, accessible parking spaces shall be dispersed and located near the accessible entrances. Wherever practical, the accessible route shall not cross lanes of vehicular traffic. Where crossing traffic lanes is necessary, the route shall be designated and marked as a crosswalk.
Exceptions:
  1. In multilevel parking structures, van accessible parking spaces are permitted on one level.
  2. Accessible parking spaces shall be permitted to be located in different parking facilities if substantially equivalent or greater accessibility is provided in terms of distance from an accessible entrance or entrances, parking fee and user convenience.
 
What section requires an accessible route from these inaccessible stairs/doors to an accessible entrance?
I only see that the sign is required. IBC 111.2 only requires the sign to indicate the "route" (does't say an "accessible route") to the accessible entrance .

2015 IBC
1111.2 Directional signage. Directional signage indicating
the route to the nearest like accessible element shall be provided
at the following locations. These directional signs shall
include the International Symbol of Accessibility and sign
characters shall meet the visual character requirements in
accordance with ICC A117.1.
1. Inaccessible building entrances.

If I try to make any sense of the code it would drive me crazy. I just go by the letter of the code.
 
Ty J. said:
Guys...I get it. But use common sense here. These doors will be used by truck drivers and the crews loading them. They are not intended to serve as an entrance to the building, but as a service door.

I agree, what I have posted does not follow the code explicitly, but it applies common sense and a bit of reason.

Besides that, if you put signs at each of the 45 stairs/doors, do you also need an accessible path to the entryway that provides accessible use? Good luck routing the accessible route through the loading dock area. You would end up with thousands of feet of striped crosswalks within a semi-truck loading area.
Click to expand...

I've done quite a bunch of these warehouses with several truck docks and you are correct. People who know or get a chance to observe how these things operate will understand real quickly what the doors are meant for and more importantly that mixing people and truck traffic is not a good idea.

The 45 man doors next to the dock doors are not for use by the truckers. They are for the warehouse operators to be able to go outside and open the trailer doors - do a visual inspection if need be - before the truck backs all the way up to the docks. Just the way conventional docks work.

No issue with crossing truck routes as each door lines up with the side of the truck and the warehouse operator doesn't go far from the dock door for what he needs to do.

They could have invested in a vertical storing leveler and continuous dock system so the trailer doors could be opened from inside the building as most modern warehouses would do and they would have eliminated the need for those doors but they did what they did.

Depending on how the facility itself is operated, there are parts that would need to be accessible of course. There may be a shipping/receiving office or a trucker's lounge situated in the vicinity that one can safely get to. Other times, the truckers don't even need to get out or just deposit their trailers elsewhere and a yard jockey does the rest.
 
1104.2 Within a site. At least one accessible route shall connect
accessible buildings, accessible facilities, accessible elements
and accessible spaces that are on the same site.

What is an accessible element?

Is a sign required by Chapter 11 an accessible element?
If this is true then will an accessible route will be needed from the directional signage (indicating a route to the accessible entrance) to the accessible entrance?
 
The doors and stairs beside the dock doors provide a way for dock operators to get to the dock levelers. These dock levelers I would think would fall under IBC 505.3 Equipment Platforms.
 
Enri Code said:
The doors and stairs beside the dock doors provide a way for dock operators to get to the dock levelers. These dock levelers I would think would fall under IBC 505.3 Equipment Platforms.
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1. Two of the stairway/doors at the docks indicate a "drivers" restroom by the doors. Would these two stairways/doors need to be accessible? Or would the directional signs to an accessible entrance be sufficient?

2. Would these doors be considered service entrances or part of the required 60% accessible entrances?

1105.1 Public entrances. In addition to accessible entrances
required by Sections 1105.1.1 through 1105.1.7, at least 60
percent of all public entrances shall be accessible.
Exceptions:
1. An accessible entrance is not required to areas not
required to be accessible.
2. Loading and service entrances that are not the only
entrance to a tenant space.

SERVICE ENTRANCE. An entrance intended primarily for
delivery of goods or services.
 
ADAguy said:
Yes but once at the dock level signs directing you an exit would be required, no?
Click to expand...

I see how they may need to put a directional sign on the interior to point towards where the egress doors are. So that's correct.
They may need to put a "Not an Exit" sign at the interior side of the man doors by the dock doors.
Thinking about it some more, since it's a very big building to be sure and having dock doors usually spaced out at about 14 feet on center... about 630 feet at least (45' x14') ... that's a long way to go without having an egress door and stair at some interval between dock doors. At the very least, any required egress would need to straight shot away from the dock and connect to another pedestrian path.
Not knowing how the building is configured, it would be a good idea to look at how they are achieving their code required exit distances.
 
Rick18071 said:
1. Two of the stairway/doors at the docks indicate a "drivers" restroom by the doors. Would these two stairways/doors need to be accessible? Or would the directional signs to an accessible entrance be sufficient?

2. Would these doors be considered service entrances or part of the required 60% accessible entrances?

1105.1 Public entrances. In addition to accessible entrances
required by Sections 1105.1.1 through 1105.1.7, at least 60
percent of all public entrances shall be accessible.
Exceptions:
1. An accessible entrance is not required to areas not
required to be accessible.
2. Loading and service entrances that are not the only
entrance to a tenant space.

SERVICE ENTRANCE. An entrance intended primarily for
delivery of goods or services.
Click to expand...

1. Those stairways/ doors would probably need to be accessible based on their function as restroom access. May even trigger area of refuge requirement for the stair landing. Of course, not knowing how the plan is configured, my guess is that those doors mean that a shipping office and restrooms may be located somewhere along the rows of dock doors so it would bolster the case for those particular doors to need to be accessible. May even need a ramp... yikes...

2. I believe those doors would be service entrances as you described.
 
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Building is a rectangle 750' wide. code says S-2 with sprinklers max. travel distance is to be 400". Doors are about 50' apart along the long walls where the docks are. There are 4 accessible exits at the short ends of the building. Two dock doors go into a vestibule which has a single user restroom. There will be a door from the vestibule into the warehouse that will be locked on the vestibule side but not on the egress side. So the drivers can use the restroom but not enter the warehouse. But I think that these entrances are intended primarily for delivery of goods or services because only the drivers that are delivering goods will be using these doors.

i noticed that the code definition says primarily for delivery of goods or services not for shipping out goods and services. Do you think it makes a difference?
 
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