36 CFR Part 1195 Proposed Accessibility Standards for Medical Diagnostic Equipment NPRM - Preamble

Additional Technical Criteria Considered for Handrails on Ramps

M303.3.3.5 would require handrails to be provided on each side of the ramp when the vertical rise of the ramp exceeds 6 inches. This is consistent with the 2004 ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines. The Access Board is considering whether the technical criteria for handrails on ramps in section 505 of the 2004 ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines would be appropriate for handrails on diagnostic equipment ramps. These technical criteria are available at http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/final.cfm#a505 and address continuity, height, clearance, gripping surface, cross section, surfaces, fittings, and handrail extensions.

Question 35. Comments are requested on the following questions regarding the technical criteria for handrails in section 505 of the 2004 ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines:

a) Can handrails on diagnostic equipment ramps meet these technical criteria?

b) What would be the incremental costs for the design or redesign and manufacture of the equipment to provide handrails on diagnostic equipment ramps that conform to these technical criteria?