TGSI Overview

What’s all the talk about Tactiles?

Tactile Ground Surface Indicators are part of a global initiative to provide greater access for people in the built environment. For over 30 years, TGSIs have proven to be a dignified and non-discriminatory means of providing unassisted mobility to the visually impaired.

What are TGSIs?

Tactile Ground Surface Indicators – TGSIs for short – are series of organised raised dots and bars that are installed on pedestrian surfaces to assist in the orientation of people who are blind or vision impaired. TGSIs are primarily designed to give tactile warning to people so that they may safely negotiate the built environment.

Felt under foot, detected by cane, or even read as a light contrast between a surface and a hazard, TGSIs give information to the vision impaired on where they are, where they are going and where they have been.

What do TGSIs look like?

TGSIs come in 2 main types: warning 1 – dots – and directional 2 – bars. They can be constructed in two ways. As Discrete TGSIs 3 – Dots or Bars made of one or two materials that are individually affixed to a substrate / surface, or as Integrated TGSIs 4 – Dots or Bars made of the same material and integrated as one consistent mass. Note: Drawings are not to scale.

DTAC Offers Choice

With a range of Discrete and Integrated Warning and Directional TGSIs, DTAC offers the best in appearance, slip resistance and design application.

Manufactured in Australia, DTAC products are constructed from hardwearing metallic and polymer materials and fabricated within the precise specifications and standards of AS/NZS 1428.4 (2002), the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

Extensive testing for Slip resistance and Luminance contrast has been conducted by independent bodies which ensures peace of mind when selecting a DTAC TGSI.

Testing for each DTAC TGSI Product includes:

1. AS/NZS 4586 Appendix A – Wet Pendulum 4S
2. AS/NZS 4586 Appendix A – TRRL Sliders
3. AS/NZS 4586 Appendix C – Wet Barefoot Ramp
4. AS/NZS 4586 Appendix D – Oil wet ramp Test
5. AS/NZS 1428.4 – Wet & Dry Luminance Reflectance

DTAC® TACTILE INDICATORS

DTAC's product range currently includes high performance metallic Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSIs) constructed from the following materials:

• MAX - Solid Stainless Steel
• COLOURMAX - Solid Stainless Steel & Polymer outer ring
• HERITAGE - Solid Brass
• HERITAGE - Solid Bronze
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