Posted By Clair Parfrey I am involved with a nightclub that is in the basement of a listed building. To get in customers have to go down a flight of steps. All the fire escapes have stairs. When considering a wheelchair user; can anybody advise on how to get them out in an emergency and has any research been done into manual handlig issues raised by carrying a person in their wheelchair down the stairs?

Posted By John Johnston Hey Clair, You may have a number of options available to you where manual handling training and action plans will certainly be high priority. There are various solutions to allow access for wheelchair users into premises. These can include platform lifts and even fire protected lifts. Of course these things can be expensive and may be considered unreasonable depending on business type/resources etc. It boils down to 'reasonable adjustments'. I would suggest that you have an access audit carried out by a NRAC (National Register of Access Consultants) approved consultant. It is after all a legal duty http://www.drc-gb.org/thelaw/thedda.asp I hope this helps. Very best regards, John