AS 1428.1 explained, for people fitting out a clinic
The access standard that rules more tenancies out than any other, and what it actually asks for.
The short answer
Of all the documents a clinical fitout has to satisfy, this is the one that most often ends a project before it starts. Not because it’s unreasonable, but because a building either has a compliant path of travel or it does not, and no amount of design skill invents one.
Key points
- AS 1428.1 is the design standard for access; the NCC is what makes it mandatory.
- It applies to new building work, which a fitout is.
- 850 mm clear door opening, 1:14 maximum ramp grade, 30% luminance contrast.
- Access is the single most common reason a small or upper-level tenancy cannot be a clinic.
- Get an access consultant's view before you sign, not after.
Of all the documents a clinical fitout has to satisfy, this is the one that most often ends a project before it starts. Not because it’s unreasonable, but because a building either has a compliant path of travel or it does not, and no amount of design skill invents one.
What AS 1428.1 is, and what makes it mandatory
AS 1428.1 Design for access and mobility, Part 1: General requirements for access, New building work is a technical standard. On its own, a standard isn’t law.
What makes it binding is the National Construction Code, which calls up AS 1428.1 through its Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions. Separately, the Disability Discrimination Act makes discrimination on the basis of disability unlawful, and the Premises Standards sit between the two. In practice: your certifier assesses against the NCC, the NCC points at AS 1428.1, and the DDA is why the whole structure exists.
The part that surprises tenants is the subtitle. New building work. A fitout is new building work. Fitting out an existing tenancy triggers the standard for the work you do, and often for the path of travel leading to it.
The continuous accessible path of travel
This is the concept that matters most and the one most often misunderstood. It’s not a series of compliant items. It is an unbroken route: from the site boundary or the accessible car space, to the entrance, through the entrance, along circulation, to the spaces people need to reach, and to a sanitary facility.
One step anywhere in that chain breaks it. A 40 mm threshold at a shopfront door breaks it. A lift that doesn’t meet the standard breaks it. A corridor that narrows past a column breaks it.
Which is why the useful question at a site inspection is not "is the entry accessible" but "can somebody in a wheelchair get from the street to a consulting room and to a toilet without encountering a single break".
The requirements that decide tenancies
Doorways
A minimum 850 mm clear opening, measured with the door open, not the door leaf width. A 870 mm door in a rebate frequently does not achieve it. Circulation space is also required at the approach and on the far side, and the amount depends on which way the door swings and whether the approach is head-on or from the side.
The latch-side clearance is the one that catches renovations: you need space beside the handle to position a wheelchair and pull the door open, and a door tight into a corner doesn’t have it.
Ramps and level change
A ramp runs at a maximum gradient of 1:14, with landings at intervals, handrails to both sides and kerb rails. A walkway at 1:20 is gentler and has fewer requirements. A step ramp handles a very small rise only.
The practical consequence: a 300 mm level change needs over four metres of ramp plus landings. On a suburban shopfront that space frequently does not exist, and the answer becomes a platform lift or a different tenancy.
Sanitary facilities
An accessible unisex sanitary compartment has prescribed dimensions, circulation space, pan position relative to the wall, grabrail configuration, backrest, and reach ranges for the basin and fittings. Everything is dimensioned and everything is checked.
The two mistakes we see: assuming a base building accessible toilet down the corridor will serve, which depends on the building and the classification, and assuming an existing accessible toilet complies because it has a rail in it. Many built before the current standard don’t.
Ambulant cubicles are a separate requirement again, triggered by how many pans you provide rather than by accessibility alone.
Reception counters
Where a counter is provided, a section has to be usable from a seated position: a lowered section at a set height with knee clearance underneath. A high counter with a clipboard on the end is not compliance.
Luminance contrast
Generally 30% minimum luminance contrast is required between a door leaf and its surrounds, and for tactile ground surface indicators. This is a design decision that costs nothing at specification stage and is expensive once the joinery is made and the doors are painted.
It’s worth naming because it’s the requirement most often missed by designers who are otherwise careful, and it turns up at certification.
What this means at a site inspection
Before you sign, walk the route yourself and look for:
- Any step or threshold between the street and the tenancy door
- Whether the entry door can achieve 850 mm clear, and whether there’s latch-side space
- Whether an accessible sanitary facility exists, and whether it was built to the current standard
- If you’re above ground floor, whether the lift complies
- Whether corridors stay wide enough past columns, fire hose reels and door swings
- Whether an accessible car space exists where parking is provided
None of that’s a substitute for an access consultant, and on any tenancy where you are unsure an access report before signing is cheap insurance. It is question three on our lease checklist for a reason.
A caution about the numbers on this page
The figures above are the well-established ones, and they are here to give you a feel for what the standard asks. Do not design from a web page. AS 1428.1 is a purchased document, it is revised, and your certifier will assess against the version the NCC currently calls up. Your designer should be working from a current copy, and you’re entitled to ask which edition they hold.
Sources and further reading
AS 1428.1 is a purchased document instead of a free download. The figures on this page are indicative; design from the current edition your certifier will assess against.
Source for AS/NZS 4815 and 4187 reprocessing, AS 1428.1 access and AS 1668.2 ventilation. The standards themselves are purchased, not free.
The National Construction Code: building classification, fire separation, egress, sanitary provisions and access.
Room-by-room design guidance and standard components used across Australian health projects, including consulting, treatment and sterilising rooms.
Questions
What is AS 1428.1?
AS 1428.1 Design for access and mobility, Part 1: General requirements for access, New building work. It’s the Australian Standard setting out technical requirements for accessible design, and the National Construction Code makes it mandatory by calling it up through the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions.
Does AS 1428.1 apply to a fitout?
Yes. The standard covers new building work, and a fitout is new building work. It applies to what you build, and frequently to the path of travel leading to it as well.
What is the minimum door width under AS 1428.1?
A minimum 850 mm clear opening, measured with the door open rather than as the door leaf width. Circulation space is also required at the approach and beyond, and the amount depends on the direction of approach and which way the door swings.
What is the maximum ramp gradient?
1:14 for a ramp, with landings at intervals, handrails to both sides and kerb rails. A walkway at 1:20 is gentler and carries fewer requirements. A 300 mm level change therefore needs more than four metres of ramp plus landings, which many suburban shopfronts cannot provide.
Can an existing accessible toilet be relied on?
Only if it was built to the standard currently called up, which many older facilities were not. Whether a base building facility can serve your tenancy at all depends on the building and its classification. Both are worth confirming before you sign a lease.
Do I need an access consultant?
On any tenancy where the answer isn’t obviously yes, it’s cheap insurance. Access is the single most common reason a small or upper-level tenancy can’t become a clinic, and an access report before signing costs a fraction of discovering it afterwards.
Related
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A site assessment tells you what the tenancy can take and what it will cost to get there, ideally before you have signed for it.