The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is an extensive civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities offering them equal opportunities as anyone else. This includes the rights to participate in all government programs and services, purchase goods and services, and have equal employment opportunities. A significant piece of this legislation includes building and accessibility guidelines where people with disabilities should have access to public accommodations.
If your building is not ADA compliant, it can leave you vulnerable to a lawsuit. Contrary to popular belief, it is not okay to just place the International Sign of Accessibility (ISA) over a designated space to be ADA compliant. There are specific guidelines to be followed. Thus, you need to hire an ADA contractor to get the job done right and save you from the lawsuit.
There are more reasons to hire an ADA contractor.
The ADA contractors are fully aware of the laws and codes that apply to make your business accessible to all. They also know which standards to refer to depending on the type of project. This includes project developer (government and private), project use (residential, retail, or office), building type (new or renovation), housing type (single or multifamily), and housing ownership (condo or rental). The ADA contractor is aware of all the rules that apply to make your building ADA compliant, so you do not have to worry about a single thing.
It is illegal for any ADA contractor to work without a license as they need to follow various rules and regulations. Also, the contractors are certified, meaning they have the training to provide the right accessibility for your building. So, all the ADA contractors are licensed and certified and are committed to their work. A license also ensures that you are hiring a contractor who has met standards for providing the construction services, thus offering you peace of mind.
For any construction project, insurance is one of the major concerns. All ADA contractors must be insured, this protects the property owner if anyone gets hurt or any damages occur. For instance, barrier-free design construction or remodeling is challenging even for the best contractors. Thus, insurance ensures that you are covered if any mishap occurs during the construction.
As earlier said, if your building does not comply with ADA, it can attract lawsuits and penalties. Violation of the ADA subjects to a minimum fine of $4000 plus lawyer’s fees. The average fine can be between $4000 to $6000. Despite this, if you do abide by ADA compliance, then fines will continue until the building is brought into accessibility compliance. ADA violations also hurt the reputation of a business. So, you must hire an ADA contractor to redesign or build your space and save yourself from all the hassle.
These are a few reasons why hiring an ADA contractor is important. Eagle Paving is an ADA design and build contractor specializing in bringing businesses in compliance with the ADA Act.