Grab Bars

In order to meet code requirements in public facilities, grab bars for handicap accessibility are required in most places. Bathroom grab bars can be found in accessible restrooms, and often, there are even wrought iron grab bars outdoors for the use of disabled individuals. What most people don’t know is that per the ADA, grab bars must meet certain requirements in their installation. For example, at least one accessible route within a site boundary must have a grab bar, and this route must coincide as much as possible with the route for the general public. In other words, it may not be set aside as “separated”, as though it were something discriminatory.

Of course, handicap grab bars are not only for public spaces. They should be employed as a safety precaution in areas of homes where disabled individuals live or visit frequently to assure their easy accessibility to dangerous areas. For example, shower grab bars are often used to help weak or geriatric individuals balance themselves while standing in the shower or while transferring from a wheelchair to a seat within the shower. The bathtub grab bar should be mounted at approximately the same height as those you find in commercial bathrooms for the most balance.

When getting into the tub, a shower grab bar can keep handicap or injured people from slipping and falling or becoming dizzy and disoriented, thus preventing a fall that would otherwise occur. One might also consider mounting a grab bar pole that is upright for even further balance options, in case the person has to bend over or reach up and the mounting height of the bath grab bars doesn’t provide the needed balance in such positions.

While a solid grab bar installation is the most reliable type of bar for the tub or shower, a suction cup grab bar can also be used so that it can be mounted solidly while still maintaining adjustability. A suction cup grab bar can be moved from one room to another, in case the disabled individual wishes to bathe or shower in a different bathroom. It can also be mounted to any hard surface, meaning it can be used in other rooms of the house. A suction grab bar can also travel with a person so that they have their own safety equipment with them when visiting friends and relatives, allowing them to maintain a modicum of independence even outside their own home.