1st October 2004
From today, all UK businesses with fewer than 15 staff will be required, under extensions to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), to make their workplaces accessible to both disabled employees and customers.
However, according to leading disability insurer, UnumProvident, many small businesses across the UK may not have made the necessary adjustments.
In a survey conducted by UnumProvident in March this year, more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of the 1.3 million Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)bosses were entirely ignorant of the changes.
At the time of the survey, 61 per cent of SME owners did not realise how or to what extent their businesses would be affected by the new law. Moreover, 39 per cent believed the changes would have absolutely no impact and only 12 per cent thought the amendments would have a significant effect on the running
of their business.
Despite this finding, estimates at that time revealed that more than one million small businesses needed to make adjustments to their workplace or else face possible law suits from customers or industrial tribunals from staff costing tens of thousands of pounds.
Joanne Hindle, Corporate Services Director for UnumProvident, said:
With today's application of these new changes, it is now crunch time for businesses that have so far ignored the advertised extension to the DDA. With the risk of costly law suits now a reality, we would strongly advise SMEs make necessary adjustments to their workplaces immediately.
For most small to medium businesses, the cost of becoming compliant is not excessive. The key principle of the Act is reasonableness and many adjustments can be made as part of a routine maintenance or refurbishment process. The important thing is to act now.
ENDS