Why are Light Reflectance Values Important?
The Equality Act 2010 requires that all new and refurbished public buildings and work places comply with current regulations via their ‘Access Statement’, ensuring safe entry, exit and safe passage throughout the building. As no detailed physical guidance is offered in the Act, specifiers following the guidance within the Building Regulations Approved Document M and BS 8300 would by default comply with the Equality Act. These regulations mean that people, regardless of disability, age or gender, must be able to gain equal access to public buildings. For visually impaired people this means, amongst other things, that there must be a good visual contrast between various elements of the building, including doorways, fixtures and fittings. As a result, the contrast between, for example, door leaf surface and ironmongery must achieve a certain level – as measured by LRV.