Different colours should be used for identification of doors, different storeys or departments in a building to aid persons with impaired cognitive ability. The colours used to facilitate orientation shall also provide minimum difference in LRV according to B-24.3.1. Combinations of red tones and green tones should be avoided.
Different storeys should be marked with clearly defined large numbers relating to the floor (that is, ‘2’ for the second floor, and so on) both in the stairwells to assist those evacuating and at the lift and stair lobbies on each level.
NOTE — Colour coding floors may not be practical from a long term maintenance perspective.
In case of signage and graphical symbols, contrasting colours shall be used to differentiate the figures from the background on the signboard. The colours of signboard shall also contrast with the surrounding surface so as to be clearly distinguishable (see B-24.2.6). Information from signs may be conveyed by the colour and brightness differentials between the letter and the background. For graphical symbols, it is preferable to use blue and white colours. Colours same as safety signs shall be avoided in other signs. Primarily red, yellow or green colour is used for safety signs. The colour combinations red/ green and yellow/blue should not be used in order to avoid confusing persons who are colour blind. Use of the shades of the same colour in the sign and also use of more than 5 colours in a signage should be avoided.
A preferred schedule of colour contrast for signs from their background is given below:
| Sl No. | Background | Sign Board | Legend |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) |
| i) | Red brick or dark stone | White | Black, dark green or dark blue |
| ii) | Light brick or light stone | Black/dark | White or yellow |
| iii) | Whitewashed walls | Black/dark | White/Yellow |
| iv) | Green vegetation | White | Black, dark green or dark blue |
| v) | Back-lit sign | Black | White or yellow |
B-25 Management and Maintenance Issues
B-25.1 Effective management of the built environment is essential to ensure that a building can be used by everyone. Management policies and procedures will be required to ensure that accessibility is maintained on an ongoing basis. The following management and maintenance issues, are important factors in ensuring that a building is easily accessed and used by disabled people.
B-25.2 External Issues
a) Keeping external routes, including steps and ramps, clean, unobstructed and free of surface water, dead leaves, lichen, debris, etc;
b) In car parking areas: ensuring that designated spaces are not being used by non-disabled motorists;
c) Where possible, allocating specific designated parking spaces to individual employees, marked by name or number;
d) Checking side-hung doors accompanying revolving doors to ensure they are not kept locked; and
e) Making available auxiliary aids such as portable ramps, and removing them when not in use.