Creating a Regulation OSHA ADA Ramp, yourself
These days not only are you helping customers and protecting yourself with an ADA ramp, but it helps business. These days search engines like Google will rank you better for making your establishment more easily accessible to disabled persons. You’ll also make life easier for parents with baby carriages.
The good news is that you can usually do it mostly yourself.
Some Math
An ADA ramp cannot exceed 1:12 incline, that means that for every 12 foot in running length the height of the ramp can increase a foot. So measure the height of the floor level that the ramp needs to get to and times it by at least 12 and you have the length of your ramp. If you want to make the use as easy and comfortable as possible go for a lighter slope like a 1:14.
You also need to make sure that runs are not more than 30” and if the height at the top is more than 6” you will need hand rails on each side. Here’s a graphic that might help.
The ramp needs to be at least 3 feet wide of clear open running space, but better to go wider so that parents can pass each other with their carriages. You can find more details of the minimum requirements at this site
Plywood is a great and cheap material to work with, it’s strong but you can’t take any shortcuts with an ADA ramp. But your ramp will see a ton of traffic, from wheels feet and who knows what else. You will need to both protect the wood and provide a slip-resistant surface across the whole ramp. Ideally the paint would protect the ramp from rain and impact.
That’s why you need to coat the ramp, in it’s entirety, with Durabak.
One of the reasons why the US Navy uses Durabak on the decks of their Nuclear Aircraft Carriers is because it’s incredibly tough and resilient, yet it’s also very grippy and easy to patch up.
Durabak is a polyurethane product which you can apply just like paint. Unlike paint it forms a rubber-like layer of protection on the surface it is applied to. Because the Durabak adheres to steel, concrete, paint and itself it creates an impermeable membrane, almost like shrink wrapping with heavy duty rubber. Durabak is available in smooth and slip-resistant textured finishes with real rubber granules for added non-skid. Durabak is available in 16 colors including safety yellow and bright red and can be mixed or tinted to achieve any color.
It’s easy to apply Durabak paint you just need to prep the surface and then roll it on. Durabak is one part, so you don’t need to mix in hardener or reducer, color or texture – truly foolproof. You’ll get a really great professional result with rollers and it will last for years and years.
Durabak is used by some of the nations largest retail brands. It’s also suitable for slip-resistant flooring for foot traffic or vehicle wheels where a slip can be costly. Aluminum, Wood, Fiberglass, Concrete, Steel and other materials bond well to Durabak and can be protected for years by a standard 2 coat application.
If you think that Durabak might be helpful for you give us a call and talk to an expert about it today on 303-690-7190
