News on 11 October 2000

The Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission, Bert Massie, issued a warning to facilities managers to start preparing their buildings for the Disability Discrimination Act or to face much higher costs as the 2004 deadline gets nearer. Mr Massie was speaking to facilities managers from across the country at the Facilities Management Legal Update Conference on the Disability Discrimination Act on 4 October 2000 in London.

The DRC replaced the previous National Disability Council on 25 April 2000. The Commission has a duty to ensure that the laws removing and preventing discrimination against disabled people are enforced. The DRC published a draft Code of Practice on compliance with the DDA and Part M of the Building Regulations in May 2000. Bert Massie told facilities managers at the Conference that he hoped this would be finalised early in the New Year to give people the most time possible to comply with the guidance.

Mr Massie warned that, while the cost of compliance with the Act will vary between organisations, the cost of structural alterations will rise as construction firms get busier. Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), service providers must remove all physical barriers to goods, services and facilities by 1 October 2004. This could mean removing an obstruction (such as a step), altering it, or providing a way of avoiding it.

Mr Massie also promised facilities managers that the DRC will take a common sense approach to enforcing the Act. Mr Massie said that the DRC would rather stay out of the courts and instead work with facilities managers to make sure that buildings are accessible and staff are trained.

Wherever possible, the Commission will aim to work in partnership with employers and service providers, adopting a non-confrontational approach. Mr Massie also confirmed that the DRC is not planning to introduce any new legislation in the near future. However, Mr Massie also warned that if organisations are not willing to work with the DRC, then the DRC will not hesitate to use its powers to force companies to comply.

The Facilities Management Legal Update Conference - "Disability: Making Buildings Accessible" took place on 4 October 2000 at the Bonnington Hotel in London. The Conference covered all aspects of compliance with the DDA. Other speakers were Richard Cullingworth (Chairman of the Building Surveyors Division of the RICS), Peter Williams (National Property Support Lawyer with
Eversheds solicitors), Brian Ford (Property Facilities Manager at the RNIB), and Keith Bright (Director of Access Design and Management, University of Reading).

The event was organised by Asset Information Ltd, publishers of Facilities Management Legal Update. David Sharp, Director of Asset Information, said: "The feedback from the Conference has been excellent. Delegates clearly enjoyed the mixture of seminars and workshops and the opportunity to discuss their individual requirements with the experts who spoke at the Conference. Attending an event like this is a major step towards making sure that your buildings will comply with all the provisions of the DDA".

The Conference was organised in association with workplacelaw.net, the leading legal website for facilities, health and safety, and human resource professionals.

www.workplacelaw.net