Approved Document M – Entering a Building

The main objective of Approved Document M is to enable all people to travel around a building safely and without risk of personal injury. It draws on BS8300:2010 for guidance on the reasonable provisions which should be made for people to access and use a building.

For example, when entering a building:

“Consideration should be given to users of wheelchairs, sticks or crutches. The entrance matting system should be designed without abrupt changes in level which could result in tripping accidents or impede wheeled traffic”.

It is therefore recommended that entrances to commercial and public buildings are:

• provided with an entrance flooring system to remove water and debris from the soles of shoes and wheelchair wheels
• direct, free from obstructions, have a firm, slip-resistant surface and allow easy manoeuvre of a wheelchair

And that:

• any matting should either have its surface level with the adjacent floor finish or, if surface laid, be of a type that has a rubber backing and chamfered edges
• If other types of surface laid mats are used, they should be securely fixed to the floor at their edges and at any joints, to avoid the risk of tripping or slipping

An easy way to make your building entrance Approved Document M compliant is with our wide range of CS Pedisystems Entrance Flooring Systems.

If you’d like some help designing an Approved Document M compliant building entrance please don’t hesitate to contact us by emailing info@c-sgroup.co.ukor calling us on 01296 652800.