If you need to have a concrete kerb built on your commercial premises, here is some advice that you should keep in mind.
Make sure your contractor creates at least one kerb ramp
It is important to tell the concrete contractor who will be building the kerb to add in at least one ramp. If the kerb is very long (i.e. if it is, for example, over ten metres), they may need to add in several ramps.
The reason for this is as follows; any type of commercial kerbing must feature at least one kerb ramp. If your new kerb does not have this feature, your staff members or clients who use mobility scooters or wheelchairs might struggle to get off the pavement and onto the adjacent road, or vice versa, without their mobility device toppling over as a result of being pushed off or onto the raised concrete kerb.
If their chair or scooter tips over whilst they are attempting to mount or dismount from the kerb, they could be injured. From both an ethical and a legal perspective, you would be responsible for these injuries.
Given this, it is vital to ensure that the concrete kerb features one or two ramps and that these ramps have a suitable width and gradient for people in mobility scooters and wheelchairs to safely use them.
Ask the contractor to incorporate drainage holes into the kerb
If the area where you plan to have the kerb built has a stormwater drain, then you might think that you don't have to ask your contractor to fit drainage holes in the kerb itself.
However, it is still a good idea to make this request. The reason for this is as follows; during periods of continuous rainfall, it may take a while for the rain that falls onto the side of the kerb to seep into the nearby stormwater drains. If your customers need to park their vehicles right beside the kerb, they may end up stepping in the pooled water when they emerge from their vehicle or having to stretch out their legs onto the pavement and pull themselves up in order to avoid getting their shoes wet.
This could be annoying, particularly for clients or staff members who need to park in this area on a regular basis. As such, it is worth having the contractor integrate these drainage openings into the kerb.
Reach out to a commercial kerbing contractor to learn more.
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