Mobile MRI Trailer Accessibility: Lifts, Stairs, and Patient Access
Site the mobile MRI trailer so the passenger side faces a firm, level path to the patient lift and the entry stair. That side needs 10 to 15 feet of clear space for patient access and the power connection. An 8-foot magnetic exclusion zone starts at the trailer walls. Tractor clearance is a separate problem. It does not set the patient path.
Patients reach an Amber Diagnostics mobile MRI trailer by a patient lift, a roll-up door, and a stair well on the passenger side. Site that side toward a firm, level path, with 10 to 15 feet clear. ADA duties follow the scan service, not the trailer. Make sure that the quoted lift rating, door width, table weight limit, and bore size match each patient before the trailer arrives.
Table of Contents
- How is patient access and ADA compliance handled for a mobile unit?
- What lift and stair options are available on mobile trailers?
- How are non-ambulatory and bariatric patients accommodated?
- Where should the trailer be sited for safe patient access?
- How Amber Diagnostics helps with trailer access
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
How is patient access and ADA compliance handled for a mobile unit?
The Amber Diagnostics mobile MRI rental page lists a patient lift, a roll-up door, and a stair well. It also lists a changing room, a control room, and a magnet room. Blueprint images are for guidance only. Examine the quoted floor plan.
The floor sits above grade. That is why the trailer has a stair and a lift. Amber Diagnostics does not publish one deck height for every trailer. Do not plan a ramp from a guessed rise.
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design set the ramp rule in section 405.2. Ramp runs must have a running slope not steeper than 1:12. Each inch of rise needs 12 inches of run. A long ramp is a poor fit beside a trailer.
Section 206.7 permits a platform lift only where existing exterior site constraints make a ramp or an elevator infeasible. A local building official makes that call. This article is not legal advice.
Title II covers public hospitals and clinics run by a state or local government. Title III covers private hospitals and medical offices as places of public accommodation. Both titles must give full and equal access to the services and to the facilities. Section 504 can also apply when the provider receives Medicare or Medicaid. If you scan patients in the trailer, you must give them an accessible route to the scan.
An accessible route can include a walking surface, a ramp, or a platform lift. The route must connect accessible parking and passenger loading zones to the entrance.
A platform lift under section 410 must comply with ASME A18.1 (1999 or 2003). It must not be attendant-operated. It must give unassisted entry and exit. End doors need 32 inches of clear width minimum. Side doors need 42 inches minimum.
These figures describe the standard, not one Amber Diagnostics lift. The rental page says "patient lift." The Standards say "platform lift." Match them only when the quoted specification says so.
You supply the pad, electrical work, water where necessary, and local permits. You also clear snow and ice. Amber Diagnostics transports the trailer, positions it, levels it, connects utilities, and calibrates the system.
The rental page calls delivery and setup turnkey. That covers the unit. It does not move pad work onto Amber Diagnostics. Keep the lift inspection record on file.
What lift and stair options are available on mobile trailers?
The published entry features are a patient lift, a roll-up door, and a stair well. An optional platform needs more space on the passenger side. Trailers are not identical. If you scan wheelchair-dependent or bariatric patients, make sure of capacity and door clearance on the quoted trailer.
Ask for the lift make, rated capacity, platform size, power source, and the procedure if trailer power stops. Ask who services the lift during the rental. Do not assume a hydraulic lift, a scissor lift, or a cassette lift.
Parts and labor for the scanner and trailer are part of the rental. Standard service runs Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Holidays are excluded. A system that cannot scan gets 24/7 hard-down coverage.
Make sure the agreement puts the patient lift inside that scope. Rental rates do not include a technologist. Training is available for short rentals and included at no cost for long-term interim rentals.
| Access item | Published by Amber Diagnostics | Get this for the quoted trailer |
|---|---|---|
| Patient lift | Listed, with a wheelchair-accessible entry. | Make, rated capacity, platform size, power source, last inspection. |
| Entry stair | Stair well with the lift and the roll-up door. | Width, handrails, tread surface, fixed or removable. |
| Roll-up door | Listed as an entry feature. | Clear opening width and the path to the magnet room. |
| Optional platform | Needs more space on the passenger side. | Whether this trailer includes it, and the footprint. |
| Site-built ramp | Not a standard rental feature. | Rise, run not steeper than 1:12, and local acceptance. |
How are non-ambulatory and bariatric patients accommodated?
The smallest limit governs. Check the chain before you book the scan. Start at accessible parking, continue to the lift, and keep 10 to 15 feet clear on the door side. Then check platform size, lift capacity, door width, turn space, table rating, and bore.
Rental MRI models in the current reference are all 1.5T. Make sure the model is available before you schedule it. The GE SIGNA Voyager, Siemens MAGNETOM Aera, and Siemens MAGNETOM Espree are 70 cm wide-bore systems. The GE Signa HDxt is a 60 cm standard-bore system.
A 70 cm bore can support bariatric, claustrophobic, and post-surgical patients who cannot tolerate a 60 cm bore. Ask for 70 cm when the mix is bariatric, then still check the table. The 1.5T page lists fixed scanners.
The exact rating depends on the model. A 2020 GE SIGNA Voyager datasheet lists a maximum scan weight of 250 kg (550 lb). The same sheet lists a table lift capacity of 250 kg (550 lb). That table lift is not the trailer patient lift. CT and PET/CT tables usually support 500 lb.
| Link in the chain | Figure to use | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Accessible route | 36 inches clear. Slope not steeper than 1:20. | 2010 ADA Standards, sections 302 and 403. |
| Door-side clearance | 10 to 15 feet for access and power. | Amber Diagnostics rental site reference. |
| Magnetic exclusion | 8 feet from walls. Moving metal 9 to 12 feet away. | Rental page and site-planning post. |
| Patient lift | No single fleet capacity is published. | Quoted trailer specification. |
| Bore | 70 cm on Voyager, Aera, and Espree. 60 cm on HDxt. | Rental model list. Make sure of availability. |
| Table weight | About 500 lb typical. Voyager sheet lists 550 lb. | Quoted table, not the door lift. |
The ACR Manual on MR Safety, 2024 edition, defines Zone IV as the MRI scanner room and the projectile area. MR Conditional means the object can be safe only if the safe-use conditions are met. Many mobile structures have a small Zone III and a Zone IV scan room. Screen the wheelchair, oxygen tank, IV pole, and stretcher before they near the magnet room. This article quotes the 2024 text.
No published stretcher clearance exists for the lift door. Transfer in the building if the stretcher does not fit. Capture weight and mobility at booking. If the trailer cannot accept the patient, use a fixed scanner.
Where should the trailer be sited for safe patient access?
Site the passenger side toward the building, on a firm, level pad, with 10 to 15 feet clear. Keep traffic and low drainage off that side. Patient access is the main site criterion. Tractor swing is not.
If fringe fields extend outside the trailer, restrict access at the 9-gauss line. Do not park trucks inside it.
Use level concrete or asphalt that supports the loaded trailer weight. A licensed engineer prepares the pad design. Shore power is 480V, three-phase, 200A at the pad. A qualified electrician makes the connection. You supply the receptacle, the phone line, and the network line. You own the permits. Local rules differ. See the site-planning post for pad, power, grounding, and water.
Walk the route before arrival.
- Passenger side faces the building path, not the traffic lane.
- 10 to 15 feet stay clear on the door side.
- The 8-foot exclusion zone is marked. Moving metal stays 9 to 12 feet away.
- The pad is level and sized for the loaded trailer weight.
- Allow about 53 feet for the trailer, and 70 to 80 feet with the tractor.
- Overhead clearance is 14 feet. Approach space is more than 100 feet.
- 480V three-phase power, phone, and network are at the pad.
- The lift specification and the table rating are in the agreement.
The site-planning post is a general reference, not a permit set.
How Amber Diagnostics helps with trailer access
Amber Diagnostics rents 1.5T mobile MRI trailers for interim coverage during downtime, renovation, or equipment replacement. The overview includes a patient lift, a roll-up door, and a stair well. You still own the pad, the power, the permits, and the path.
Delivery covers the continental United States from Orlando, Florida. A typical delivery takes two to four weeks after a signed agreement, if a unit is available. Site readiness is usually the critical path. Ask for the lift specification and the floor plan before you sign. Call 407-438-7847 or use the contact form.
Frequently asked questions
Does a mobile MRI trailer have a wheelchair lift?
The rental overview lists a patient lift, a roll-up door, and a stair well, plus a wheelchair-accessible entry. Get the rated capacity in writing for the quoted unit.
Is a mobile MRI trailer ADA compliant?
A trailer is not compliant by label. If you scan patients in it, you must give them an accessible route. Compare the quoted lift and path with the 2010 ADA Standards and your local official.
What is the weight limit for a mobile MRI wheelchair lift?
No single door-lift limit is published for every trailer. Ask for the rated capacity on the quoted unit. A typical wide-bore table limit is about 500 lb. One Voyager datasheet lists 550 lb for the table, not the door lift.
Can a stretcher fit in a mobile MRI trailer?
No published stretcher clearance exists for the patient lift door. Ask for the door width and the turn space. If the stretcher does not fit, transfer the patient before the lift, and screen metal before Zone IV.
How far from the building should a mobile MRI trailer be parked?
No single national distance is published. Keep 10 to 15 feet clear on the door side and an 8-foot exclusion zone from the walls. Hold moving metal 9 to 12 feet away. Restrict access at the 9-gauss line if fringe fields leave the trailer.
Sources
2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/2010-stds/
Access to Medical Care for Individuals with Mobility Disabilities, updated June 26, 2020. https://www.ada.gov/resources/medical-care-mobility/
U.S. Access Board, Chapter 4, Accessible Routes. https://www.access-board.gov/ada/guides/chapter-4-accessible-routes/
ACR Manual on MR Safety, 2024 edition. https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Clinical-Tools-and-Reference/radiology-safety/mr-safety
GE Healthcare SIGNA Voyager datasheet: 70 cm bore, 250 kg (550 lb) maximum scan weight.
Amber Diagnostics mobile MRI rental. https://www.amberusa.com/equipment-rental/mobile-mri-rental
Amber Diagnostics site planning. https://www.amberusa.com/blog/site-planning-for-a-mobile-mri-machine/
Amber Diagnostics 1.5T MRI systems. https://www.amberusa.com/equipment/mri/1-5t/
