The Whittier Hospital project was a challenge for a variety of reasons. While researching the exact accessibility requirements for a hospital offering various services, from outpatient to rehabilitation services. This is a challenge for any CASp inspector, who must consult with the city building official for complete accessibility compliance. Additionally, over the years, the hospital hired asphalt contractors who convinced the hospital of their experience with ADA compliance. The hospital explained that over ten years, they had paid out over $100K to various contractors only to pay ACR $20K to tear out the $100K of work previously paid.
This is exactly why owners should work with a CASp inspector, a CASp ADA Design Professional, and a CASp contractor. This way, a CASp is involved all the way through the project and provides project documentation of compliance, such as an initial CASp report depicting corrections, approved formal plans that show the corrections, a city permit signed off by a city official, and a final CASp reinspection to confirm the corrections have been made. It is critical that you work with a quality company that can provide all of these services; otherwise, you could spend thousands of dollars only to be sued multiple times. Make sure you work with a CASp from the start, during construction, and to completion.
