Why Should You Use Iron Tactile Plates for Detectable Warning Surfaces?

anti slip traction on a step

When you need to install tactile warning surfaces around your business, city streets, or other locations to satisfy ADA requirements, you should consider using cast iron tactile plates. The purpose of detectable (tactile) warning surfaces is to aid those people with visual impairments and other disabilities.

The raised truncated dome is easy to detect with a cane and the feet to alert the visually impaired person that they are nearing a crosswalk, parking lot, or another area where they need to proceed with caution. Detectable warning surfaces also aid those who are in wheelchairs or use walkers. They can see the contrast to know the distance to the other side of the street or that a change in elevation like a curb ramp will be occurring in their path.

Using cast iron plate tactile warning surfaces provides several benefits over other solutions, including:

1. Cost-effective

Iron plates will last longer than the sidewalk or other locations where they are installed. As such, your investment pays off over the long term since you won’t have to worry about replacing the plates before the sidewalk needs to be replaced.

2. Durable

Cast iron is very durable, resistant to corrosion, and dent-resistant. The iron plates are also resistant to water, snow, and salt used to remove and prevent ice.

3. Resistant to Damage

Sidewalk cleaners, street cleaners, snowplows, and other such equipment will not damage the iron plates.

4. Compliant with the ADA Contract Requirement

Cast iron provides enough of a color contrast that it is well-suited for use on most types of concrete surfaces, including colored concrete.

5. Compliant with the ADA Truncated Dome Spacing Requirements

The truncated domes are aligned in a square pattern with a maximum 1.4-inch base diameter and a height of 0.2 inches. The domes are spaced approximately 2.4 inches apart with a base-to-base spacing of at least 0.65 inches.

6. Meets ADA Size Requirements

Cast iron tactile warning surface plates are available in 24-inch x 24-inch and 24-inch x 30-inch ADA-compliant sizes.

7. Can Be Painted to Meet State and Local Color Requirements

Some states, like California, have specific color requirements for tactile detectable warning surfaces. The cast iron plates can be painted the approved color to meet this requirement and repainted as needed to maintain the appearance of the color.

Where Are ADA Tactile Warning Surfaces Required?

There are specific locations where ADA tactile warning surface must be installed, including:

  • Rail and Bus Station Platform Edges
  • Curb Ramps
  • Changes in Elevations on Public Paths of Travel
  • Exterior Paths of Travel
  • Handicap Ramps
  • Connections Between Retail Entry/Exit Points and Parking Lots/Vehicular Ways
  • Refuge Islands Greater Than Six Feet in Length

It is up to business owners, public works managers, and others responsible for public access areas to review current ADA requirements to ensure compliance to avoid costly penalties and ADA Title III lawsuits.

Installing Iron Dome Tactile Panel

What Are the Penalties for Not Using ADA-Compliant Detectable Warning Surfaces?

In 2014, the Department of Justice increased the penalties for violations of the ADA, including those relating to detectable warning surfaces. As of April 28, 2014, or after, the maximum monetary penalty for a first-time violation is $75,000. For subsequent violations, the maximum monetary penalty is $150,000.

To learn more about cast iron tactile plates and other detectable warning surface solutions, please feel free to contact ADA Solutions at 1-800-372-0519 today! We can even help you review ADA requirements and any state or local requirements you must satisfy to be compliant.

Is Your Business ADA-Compliant for 2020?

White Wheelchair Graphic on Black Asphalt

ADA requirements have been in place for years since the act was originally signed in the 1990s. However, it’s constantly being updated each year based on additional needs and changing work environments.

If you own a business, it’s important to know what these changes are so you can make sure you’re always ADA-compliant.

In 2020, the regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act focus both on physical limitations and obstacles, as well as digital ones. Many of the 2020 ADA requirements are targeting business websites and how they, too, need to be compliant.

Let’s look at some of these rules and regulations that you’ll need to know in order to make sure your business remains compliant in the new year and beyond.

Double-Checking Those Easily Overlooked Issues

Daughter Walking Alongside Father in Wheelchair

Even if your business isn’t new, it’s not uncommon for established locations to make mistakes when considering ADA compliance. There are some frequently overlooked regulations that get businesses in trouble or hit with hefty fines, and they can be easily remedied by doing a self-audit or looking over the new rules and regulations each year.

For starters, make sure everything is properly labeled at your place of business. Tactile warning surface products can be a big help to those with disabilities, as can graphic warning plates that let people know what to expect. No warning signs or labels means that you’re not letting employees and/or customers know what could potentially be ahead of them, which may put them in danger.

Little things like the weight of your doors and the slope of your wheelchair ramps can also cause problems, and they’re often overlooked. Many business owners think that just because they’re following the basic regulations, it means they’re safe. Yet, if the things you’re putting in place aren’t usable or accessible by those with a disability, they’re doing more harm than good.

So, don’t be afraid to look over the physical regulations if you have a brick and mortar business. Refreshing yourself on what they consist of each year will help you to get better and make more changes to be compliant.

Making Your Website Accessible

Even if your business is run mostly (or solely) online, you still have to follow ADA regulations. Everyone tends to think about wheelchair ramps and proper signage when it comes to ADA compliance, but, due to advancements in technology, it’s important to consider businesses that operate digitally too.

That being said, there currently aren’t any specific regulations in place for websites by the Department of Justice, other than the fact that websites have to be accessible for all people.

It’s unlikely that there will be new regulations introduced for websites in 2020, but there are some basics that are important to follow. The DOJ has overwhelmingly agreed that websites need to be accessible. The problem is, they aren’t sure which regulations to put in place to make that happen since sites vary so greatly.

So, what can you do to make sure your website is safe while making it accessible for people with disabilities?

How to Make Your Website “ADA-Compliant”

Students Looking at ADA Compliant Website

Though there aren’t official regulations in place under the ADA, there are Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that are widely accepted as the standard by which websites should operate. Whether you have to start from scratch with your website or just make a few changes, keep these solutions in mind to make sure your site is inclusive and accessible for all:

  1. Choose your graphics carefully. Graphics can be an important part of any website since they draw people’s attention quickly. However, if you have flashing, colorful graphics, you could risk triggering a seizure for someone who is prone to them. You shouldn’t have a flashing image more than three times on the same screen. If you do have graphics, make sure any text that goes along with them is easily readable for the vision-impaired. If they can’t see it, it should be able to be easily read by someone going through the site with them.
  2. Add alt-text to all of your images. This allows people with vision problems to use site readers that can describe the image audibly.
  3. Use easy-to-read fonts in colors that remain in focus. (In other words, don’t use a dark font with a dark background.)
  4. Make sure your site is predictable. Websites are designed to operate in certain ways, and people have come to rely on that predictability. Things like labels over areas of content or site maps can help someone to navigate through your website for the first time. Having some of these standard practices in place can make a big difference.
  5. Make your site keyboard-friendly. Some people with mobility issues or those who have problems gripping a mouse rely on keyboards to browse through a website. So, make sure your site allows users to move at their own pace. That means no automatic scrolling or videos that play on their own. Allowing users to navigate with a keyboard and “pause” things so they have time to view them will make it easier for a lot of people with grip issues.

Staying Up to Date

Perhaps the best thing you can do for your business this year and beyond is to keep yourself as educated as possible on the rules and regulations of the ADA.

Technology will continue to change, and so will ADA standards. If you have a website for your business, it’s important to focus just as much on its accessibility as it is to focus on having wheelchair ramps for a brick and mortar store. Official regulations on websites might not happen this year, but, as digital businesses become more popular and prominent, it’s an issue the Department of Justice can’t ignore forever.

So, build your website the right way, now, and stay up-to-date with changing rules and regulations. By the time the DOJ does vote to officially include websites within their rules and regulations, you’ll already be one step ahead.

ADA Sidewalk Requirements in 2020

newly paved sidewalk with detectable warning system

The leading manufacturer of detectable warning surface products, ADA Solutions is committed to helping meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Our detectable warning tiles, truncated dome mats, and other products help comply with the latest ADA standards. These adhere to the minimum requirements of the revised “2010 Standards.”

The ADA was passed to help make public facilities more accessible to people who use wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility devices. Its guidelines ensure they have room to maneuver and travel. However, it is not limited to restrooms, doors, and other elements of public facilities. Streets and sidewalks must be compliant as well.

Facilities must consider everything from the required ADA sidewalk width to the slope where curb ramps are required.

newly paved sidewalk with detectable warning system

Do Sidewalks Have to Be ADA Compliant?

The ADA requires every path of travel in or around a facility, including streets, sidewalks, and curb ramps, to be accessible. Still applicable in 2019, the standards apply to state and local government facilities, commercial establishments, and public accommodations. Any building or project started on or after March 15, 2012 is required to use the 2010 Standards. Requirements applicable to sidewalks include those regarding:

Slope

An ADA sidewalk ramp cannot have a cross slope (distance from the bottom edge of a level to the surface) of more than ½ inch. A ramp is a running slope steeper than 1:20, meaning for every inch of height change, there are at least 20 inches of route run. Slope requirements for bus stop boarding and alighting areas, as with rail platforms, must be perpendicular to the roadway and not steeper than 1:48. The exception being where vehicles are boarded from sidewalks or street level, where platforms must be less than 8 inches high.

Width

The clear width between the handrails of a ramp run must be at least 36 inches. In work areas where essential equipment is used, the width can be reduced to accommodate it. The ADA sidewalk ramp rules also limit the rise for any ramp to 30 inches and require a clear landing length of at least 60 inches. If ramps change direction at landings, there should be a landing of at least 60 x 60 inches.

Curb Ramps

Curb ramps are required for newly built and altered streets, roads, and intersections or anywhere there are curbs or other barriers from the street to a pedestrian walkway. The ADA limits curb ramp steepness to no greater than 1:12 (an 8.33% slope), a width of 36 inches, and adjacent counter slopes of no steeper than 1:20. If curb ramp flares are used, they cannot be steeper than 1:10.

Also, curb ramps and flared sides cannot project into parking spaces, parking access aisles, or vehicular traffic lanes. On the bottom, diagonal curb ramps must have 48 inches of space within crossing markings or outside of traffic lanes. For raised islands, curb ramps must have a level area of at least 48 inches long by 36 inches wide.

Surface Texture

Textured surfaces (i.e., detectable warnings with truncated domes) must adhere to ADA sidewalk requirements for size, spacing, and contrast. Truncated domes must have a base diameter between 0.9 and 1.4 inches, a top diameter from 50% to 65% of the base, and a base-to-base spacing of at least 0.65 inches. There must be visual contrast with walking surfaces near it (with a light-on-dark or dark-on-light contrast). Also, any surface at a platform boarding edge must be at least 24 inches wide and cover the full length of public use areas.

Contact ADA Solutions for Standards-Compliant Detectable Warning Tiles

Our fiberglass polymer composite detectable warning surface tiles meet ADA sidewalk requirements for width, slope, and texture. Manufactured in an ISO 9002 certified facility, our cast-in-place and surface-applied panels are uniform in color and UV stable while being ADA-compliant for 2019. Browse our website to learn more about our surface tiles and relevant government regulations; or, call 800-372-0519 for a free quote.