1. Grab Rails: Ensuring a Simple Home Mod Doesn’t Go Wrong!
Matthew Massy-Westropp, General Manager
Steve Sheppard and Agnieszka Kuna
Domiciliary Equipment Service
Department for Communities and Social Inclusion

2. What is DES? SA government provider since 1996 of:
Equipment - readily available and customised
Equipment repairs, maintenance and modifications
Home modifications - simple to complex
Clinical support and technical expertise
Central warehouse and procurement
Focuses on refurbishment of 50,000 loan items = responsive and efficient
What is DES?

4. Home Modifications 2016-17 70% of simple are CHSP funded
Type
Jobs Completed
Time
Cost
Simple
3,282
16 days
$1.8M
Complex 84
53 days
$0.1M
Project Managed 68
118 days
$0.6M
TOTAL
3,434 -
$2.5M
70% of simple are CHSP funded
82% of complex/PM are Disability funded
Quotes and contracting managed by DES.

5. Simple Home Modifications
3,282 (96%) of all home mods
50% involve grab or bannister rails
Mix of in house fabrication and installation as well as contractors
May have joint site visit with clinician for more complex sites
Completed within 16 days average.

6. If Things Go Wrong
Incidents and complaints are captured directly or indirectly through agencies
Technical investigations undertaken depending on severity and nature of incident
Corrective actions undertaken
Reporting and trends analysed

7. Scenario One Client fall at home 5 piece grab rail fitted in toilet
User weight ~150kg
Masonry wall with 10mm plaster
25mm wall plug, single fixing

8. Scenario Two Family discover water damage to lower ground level home
Grab rail - shower kit 3 weeks prior
Masonry and timber wall
Copper line pierced
Engineering review
Drying, repairs to walls, render, tiles

9. Scenario Three Leak heard coming from wall cavity
Rail and hose installed 4 years prior
Two types of fasteners used including a nylon insert and self tapping screw
Penetration to non pressure pipe
Waterlogging to floor, walls, studs
Damage spread to other rooms

10. What Needs Consideration?
Person
Environment
Occupation

11. Assessing the Need Level of function of person now and in the future
Demands of the home environment
Expectations, goals & acceptance of change by client/ carer
Least intrusive (and most cost effective) option
Recommendations of Standards
Home environment constraints in meeting Standards
Policy of the funder

12. Standards vs Code
Not all technical detail is contained in the National Construction Code
AS contains technical information for access:
dimensions and clearances at doorways
design of handrails
layout of accessible toilets
Taken from ABCB 2016

13. Grab Rail Requirements
Outside diameter between 30 and 40mm (32 ideal)
Radius of edges & corners of grab rails not less than 5mm
Withstand force of 1100N (any direction) = approx. 110kg
Clearance between rail and wall: >50mm and <60mm
600mm clearance above horizontal rail
No obstruction of passage along the rail.
AS (2009) Clause 17

14. What About the Installation?
Must consider both the material and fixings

15. Improving Practices
Building licenses – these are task specific with none for home modifications
Funder initiatives – technical manuals in use by some public housing programs
Training for assessors to understand context and application of AS in the home
Training for building industry – home mods may be seen as nuisance work.

16. Thank You! Phone: 1300 295 786 Repairs: 1300 130 302
Catalogue:
Web: