FAQ Subheading

D3.6 Signage

In a building to be accessible—

(a) braille and tactile signage complying with Specification D3.6 must —

(i) incorporate the international symbol of access or deafness, as appropriate, in accordance with AS 1428.1and identify each —

(A) sanitary facility, except a sanitary facility within a sole-occupancy unit in a Class 1b or Class 3 building; and

(B) space with a hearing augmentation system; and

(ii) identify each door required by E4.5 to be provided with an exit sign and state—

(A) "Exit"; and

(aa) the floor level number; or

(bb) a floor level descriptor; or

(b) signage including the international symbol for deafness in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided within a room containing a hearing augmentation system identifying—

(i) the type of hearing augmentation; and

(ii) the area covered within the room; and

(iii) if receivers are being used and where the receivers can be obtained; and

(c) signage in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided for accessible unisex sanitary facilities to identify if the facility is suitable for left or right handed use; and

(d) signage to identify an ambulant accessible sanitary facility in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be located on the door of the facility; and

(e) where a pedestrian entrance is not accessible, directional signage incorporating the international symbol of access, in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible pedestrian entrance; and

(f) where a bank of sanitary facilities is not provided with an accessible unisex sanitary facility, directional signage incorporating the international symbol of access in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be placed at the location of the sanitary facilities that are not accessible, to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible unisex sanitary facility.

D3.7 Hearing augmentation

(a) A hearing augmentation system must be provided where an inbuilt amplification system, other than one used only for emergency warning, is installed—

(i) in a room in a Class 9b building; or

(ii) in an auditorium, conference room, meeting room or room for judicatory purposes; or

(iii) at any ticket office, teller's booth, reception area or the like, where the public is screened from the service provider.

(b) If a hearing augmentation system required by (a) is —

(i) an induction loop, it must be provided to not less than 80% of the floor area of the room or space served by the inbuilt amplification system; or

(ii) a system requiring the use of receivers or the like, it must be available to not less than 95% of the floor area of the room or space served by the inbuilt amplification system, and the number of receivers provided must not be less than—

(A) if the room or space accommodates up to 500 persons, 1 receiver for every 25 persons or part thereof, or 2 receivers, whichever is the greater; and

(B) if the room or space accommodates more than 500 persons but not more than 1000 persons, 20 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 33 persons or part thereof in excess of 500 persons; and

(C) if the room or space accommodates more than 1000 persons but not more than 2000 persons, 35 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 50 persons or part thereof in excess of 1000 persons; and

(D) if the room or space accommodates more than 2000 persons, 55 receivers plus 1 receiver for every 100 persons or part thereof in excess of 2000 persons.

(c) The number of persons accommodated in the room or space served by an inbuilt amplification system must be calculated according to D1.13.

(d) Any screen or scoreboard associated with a Class 9b building and capable of displaying public announcements must be capable of supplementing any public address system, other than a public address system used for emergency warning purposes only.

D3.8 Tactile indicators

(a) For a building required to be accessible, tactile ground surface indicators must be provided to warn people who are blind or have a vision impairment that they are approaching —

(i) a stairway, other than a fire-isolated stairway; and

(ii) an escalator; and

(iii) a passenger conveyor or moving walk; and

(iv) a ramp other than a fire-isolated ramp, step ramp, kerb ramp or swimming pool ramp; and

(v) in the absence of a suitable barrier —

(A) an overhead obstruction less than 2 m above floor level, other than a doorway; and

(B) an accessway meeting a vehicular way adjacent to any pedestrian entrance to a building, excluding a pedestrian entrance serving an area referred to in D3.4, if there is no kerb or kerb ramp at that point, except for areas exempted by D3.4.

(b) Tactile ground surface indicators required by (a) must comply with sections 1 and 2 of AS/NZS 1428.4.1.

(c) A hostel for the aged, nursing home for the aged, a residential aged care building Class 3 accommodation for the aged, Class 9a health-care building or a Class 9c building need not comply with (a)(i) and (iv) if handrails incorporating a raised dome button in accordance with the requirements for stairway handrails in AS 1428.1 are provided to warn people who are blind or have a vision impairment that they are approaching a stairway or ramp.

National Construction Code 2016
Specification D3.6 Braille and Tactile Signs

Important Information

1. Scope

This Specification sets out the requirements for the design and installation of braille and tactile signage as required by D3.6.

2. Location of braille and tactile signs

Signs including symbols, numbering and lettering must be designed and installed as follows:

(a) Braille and tactile components of a sign must be located not less than 1200 mm and not higher than 1600 mm above the floor or ground surface.

(b) Signs with single lines of characters must have the line of tactile characters not less than 1250 mm and not higher than 1350 mm above the floor or ground surface.

(c) Signs identifying rooms containing features or facilities listed in D3.6 must be located—

(i) on the wall on the latch side of the door with the leading edge of the sign located between 50 mm and 300 mm from the architrave; and

(ii) where (i) is not possible, the sign may be placed on the door itself.

(d) Signs identifying a door required by E4.5 to be provided with an exit sign must be located—

(i) on the side that faces a person seeking egress; and

(ii) on the wall on the latch side of the door with the leading edge of the sign located between 50 mm and 300 mm from the architrave; and

(iii) where (ii) is not possible, the sign may be placed on the door itself.

3. Braille and tactile sign specification

(a) Tactile characters must be raised or embossed to a height of not less than 1 mm and not more than 1.5 mm.

(b) Sentence case (upper case for the first letter of each main word and lower case for all other letters) must be used for all tactile characters, and—

(i) upper case tactile characters must have a height of not less than 15 mm and not more than 55 mm, except that the upper case tactile characters on a sign identifying a door required by E4.5 to be provided with an exit sign must have a height of not less than 20 mm and not more than 55 mm; and

(ii) lower case tactile characters must have a height of 50% of the related upper case characters.

(c) Tactile characters, symbols, and the like, must have rounded edges.

(d) The entire sign, including any frame, must have all edges rounded.

(e) The background, negative space or fill of signs must be of matt or low sheen finish.

(f) The characters, symbols, logos and other features on signs must be matt or low sheen finish.

(g) The minimum letter spacing of tactile characters on signs must be 2 mm.

(h) The minimum word spacing of tactile characters on signs must be 10 mm.

(i) The thickness of letter strokes must be not less than 2 mm and not more than 7 mm.

(j) Tactile text must be left justified, except that single words may be centre justified.

(k) Tactile text must be Arial typeface.

4. Luminance contrast

The following applies to luminance contrast:

(a) The background, negative space, fill of a sign or border with a minimum width of 5 mm must have a luminance contrast with the surface on which it is mounted of not less than 30%.

(b) Tactile characters, icons and symbols must have a minimum luminance contrast of 30% to the surface on which the characters are mounted.

(c) Luminance contrasts must be met under the lighting conditions in which the sign is to be located.

5. Lighting

Braille and tactile signs must be illuminated to ensure luminance contrast requirements are met at all times during which the sign is required to be read.

6. Braille

The following applies to braille:

(a) Braille must be grade 1 braille (uncontracted) in accordance with the criteria set out by the Australian Braille Authority.

(b) Braille must be raised and domed.

(c) Braille must be located 8 mm below the bottom line of text (not including descenders).

(d) Braille must be left justified.

(e) Where an arrow is used in the tactile sign, a solid arrow must be provided for braille readers.

(f) On signs with multiple lines of text and characters, a semicircular braille locator at the left margin must be horizontally aligned with the first line of braille text.