Graham has relevant expertise to guide you through induction loop installation. He is also skilled at installing these systems, ensuring that you have a highly satisfactory system, which is almost invisible to the eye. Contact Graham and he will gladly discuss the needs of your church or hall and drama spaces 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). The Lighting Man is ideally placed to assess your church premises and to advise you as to the best course of action - pleas contact to ask.
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.
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 operators must know how to use it. (5.13)
Graham recommends that churches take steps now to ensure that they meet their obligations. Contact him immediately.
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.