Bath safety assortment: sizes, capacities, what to stock

A customer who comes in for a shower chair has a tub wall and a toilet in the same room. Plan the shelf around the bathroom instead of the chair, and the second sale is already on the shelf when they ask for it.

Start with weight capacity

Bath safety splits into two tiers: a standard tier rated roughly 250 to 400 lb, and a bariatric tier from 500 lb up. Decide which tiers you will carry, then cover each job in the bathroom at each tier. This is how the rated capacities in our range line up.

The gap to watch sits between 300 and 500 lb. Before you sell a toilet riser, raised seat or 3-in-1 commode to a heavier customer, get its rated capacity in writing from whoever supplied it, us included.

Shower seating

Four shapes cover most tubs and stalls. The aluminum shower stool is the narrow option, a 12.5 in seat on a 14 in base, for spaces where nothing else fits. The shower chair with removable backrest is the general-purpose seat, with a drainage seat and a back that comes off. The swivel shower chair has a rotating seat and padded arms set 19 in apart. Its base is 17 x 19 in, so ask the customer for the inside width of the tub floor before you sell it. The bariatric shower chair is backless, rated 550 lb, and adjusts from 16 to 21 in in 1 in steps.

For a reference height, the 2010 ADA Standards put the top of a bathtub seat 17 to 19 in above the bathroom floor, and a removable in-tub seat at 15 to 16 in deep. Those are design rules for facilities, not product ratings, but they give you a number when a clinic or facility buyer asks for one. Three of our four seats list a height range that covers 17 to 19 in.

Getting over the tub wall

A tub transfer bench straddles the tub wall, with legs inside and outside the tub, so the user sits down outside and slides across. Ours is rated 400 lb and has suction cups on the interior feet. Its back and armrest are reversible, which matters for inventory: bathrooms put the tub on either side of the entry, and one reversible SKU sets up for both.

The 4 in bath step, with an 18 x 14 in platform and a 400 lb rating, is the small add-on for the same customer.

Toilet height

Several products raise the seat, and they are not interchangeable.

• The toilet seat riser adds height to the existing bowl and comes in standard and elongated versions.
• The riser with padded arms adds 3.5 in, with 19 in between the handles, also in standard and elongated.
• The raised toilet seat with handles adds 5 in and installs without tools.
• The toilet safety frame stands around the toilet on its own legs, adjusts from 21.5 to 26.5 in wide and 26 to 31.5 in high, and comes as a frame or a rail.
• The 3-in-1 bedside commode works as a bedside commode, a raised toilet seat or a toilet safety frame, and has a padded seat and arms.
• The bariatric bedside commode is rated 500 lb, adjusts up to 20 in in 1 in steps, and has a stainless steel frame.

For accessible toilets, the ADA Standards set seat height at 17 to 19 in to the top of the seat. That is a facility rule again, but it gives the customer a target: measure the current seat height, and the difference between that and 17 to 19 in is the riser height they are shopping for.

Bowl shape is the return you can head off at the counter. Elongated and standard bowls take different risers, and plenty of customers do not know which one they have. Ask them to measure from the seat bolts to the front of the bowl before they buy.

Commodes bring a consumable with them. Our commode pail liners come in packs of 6, 24, 48 and 72, fit standard and bariatric pails, and have an absorbent pad that holds up to 16 fl oz. The commode customer will reorder liners from someone, and it may as well be you.

Grab bars

Our stainless steel grab bar is rated 440 lb and comes in 12, 16, 18, 24 and 36 in lengths, each in five finishes: black, bronze, brushed nickel, polished and white. The 16 in length also comes as a pair. That is 30 SKUs from one product, and few stores need all of them on the shelf. Stock the lengths deep in the one or two finishes that match the fixtures in your area, and order the others as customers ask.

The rating on the bar is only as good as the wall behind it. The ADA Standards require a grab bar installation to withstand a 250 lb force, vertical or horizontal, at any point on the bar, fastener, mounting device or supporting structure. A 440 lb bar fixed into bare drywall carries a drywall rating. Sell grab bars with the installation instructions and a plain reminder that the wall has to carry the load.

For commercial work, the same standards set grab bar diameter at 1 1/4 to 2 in, the gap to the wall at 1 1/2 in, and mounting height at 33 to 36 in above the floor to the top of the gripping surface. At a toilet they call for a side wall bar at least 42 in long and a rear wall bar at least 36 in long. Our longest bar is 36 in, so check the plans for the side wall, and ask us for diameter and wall clearance before you quote a facility job.

A first-order assortment

Our suggestion for a store opening the category, before any local sales history says otherwise:

Everything here is in the bath and toilet safety catalog with its specs and SKUs. Add it to a quote list and we come back with case pricing, availability and lead time; how to order covers the rest.

Articles are general information for trade buyers, not medical, legal, tax or reimbursement advice. We make no health claims for any product, and each product's labeling controls.