Wall Protection for Healthcare Environments
INTRODUCTION
Whether you are responsible for the design and specification or for the maintenance of healthcare facilities, the interior finishes you choose will affect their appearance, functionality and the quality of patient care.
By their very nature, busy healthcare premises have considerable interior protection requirements. To help safeguard maintenance budgets and prevent any disruption that remedial repairs would cause in operational facilities, durable finishes should be selected from the outset.
Many factors need considering when designing resilient hospital interiors.
- Finishes have to be durable, support infection control practices and be able to withstand stringent cleaning regimes without surface degradation.
- Needs of patients and visitors with mobility issues, mental disabilities or sight and hearing impediments must be considered.
- Interior design should meet a range of functional and performance requirements, as stipulated in relevant codes and legislation.
CS has been manufacturing and supplying Acrovyn wall protection for nearly 50 years, helping thousands of specifiers and building owners make their buildings better, longer lasting, more attractive and easier to maintain. We have always stayed abreast of new legislation requirements and our product offering has evolved with changing customer needs.
Read on to explore how we can help keep your facility damage free.
PROTECT THE VULNERABLE AREAS OF YOUR FACILITY
EXTERNAL CORNERS
These are high-risk areas, which get damaged easily and, once affected, can become an eyesore and a potential infection control issue. A simple and cost-effective solution would be to install corner guards, which are available in a large selection of sizes and angles.
- Use stick-on corner guards for low risk areas,
- Use models with an aluminium retainer & a cover that flexes on impact for high damage areas
- Consider the optimum height of the corner guards
- Use contrasting colours to highlight protrusions
- Choose material to suit different areas (PVC, PVC-free, Rubber, Stainless Steel)
WALL SURFACES
Walls in busy hospital areas are subjected to regular damage from equipment, beds, trolleys and even patients. Durable finishes, which are easy to clean and maintain are recommended for interior walls, doors, columns and other surfaces susceptible to damage.
- Impact resistant sheet protects from day-to-day damage
- Through-coloured products won’t chip or delaminate
- Textured options help hide small scratches and abrasions
- Smooth cladding helps cleaning regimes in sensitive areas
- Ensure wall linings meet the fire requirements in HTM 05-02
- Use durable wall coverings that incorporate graphics and imagery to create welcoming and calming interiors
LOW & MID WALL AREAS
In main circulation routes and service corridors most damage to walls happens from equipment, at low or mid wall level. In those areas additional protection may be required in the form of crashrails, hand/crash rails and bump rails.
- Anticipate type & frequency of damage to select suitable options
- Assess trolley sizes and likely impact points to decide on crashrail positioning
- Consider mounting crashrails on brackets to keep impact further away from the wall
- Use different profile colours to support the wayfinding strategy
- Choose material to suit different areas (PVC, PVC-free, Rubber, Stainless Steel)
DOORS & DOOR FRAMES
Doors and door frames are very vulnerable to damage from trolleys, equipment and wheelchairs. Regular maintenance or even replacement may be required, putting maintenance budgets under a lot of pressure throughout the life of the building.
- Impact resistant sheet on door faces can help reduce damage
- Base protection levels on location, frequency of operation & potential damage
- Use fully encapsulated doors for main circulation corridors
- For other areas use full/partial leaf protection to one/both sides
- For door edges use replaceable door edge protectors
- Door frame protection extends the lifecycle of the full doorset
- Use contrasting colours on edges & frames to meet visual contrast requirements
ACROVYN INTERIOR PROTECTION SOLUTIONS
Renowned for its durability and reliable performance Acrovyn® has been protecting healthcare interiors from damage caused by wheeled and pedestrian traffic for nearly 50 years.
Our comprehensive range features stylish, resilient and easy to clean protection options for walls, corners and doors, offering flexibility for designers and maintenance savings for building owners and operators.
Need Some Advice?
Our team of wall protection specialists would be happy to come to you and help you build a suitable protection scheme, or evaluate you current requirements and present a bespoke proposal to meet the needs of your facility.
KEY LEGISLATION & GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS
Well designed wall protection schemes in public buildings should meet a range of functional and performance
requirements stipulated in various standards and legislation. Below you will find a summary of each one.
Approved Document B – Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellinghouses lays down guidance regarding fire safety in public buildings and stipulates fire performance requirements for linings and wall finishes which are used for wall protection purposes.
Health Building Note (HBN) 00-04: Circulation and communication spaces provides guidance on the design of circulation and communication spaces in hospitals and other healthcare buildings, including corridors, internal lobbies, stairs and lifts. It also provides information on designing and fitting doors and handrails.
BS 8300:-2:2018 Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment Part 2: Building Code of Practice gives detailed guidance on different aspects of building design, including handrails, horizontal circulation, and surface finishes. All of these items can assist disabled people to find their way around the building safely.
Health Building Note (HBN) 00-09: Infection control in the build environment. The key requirement of this document is to design a clean, safe environment which facilitates infection protection and control. This determines the characteristics of interior finishes that make them suitable for infection control.
Approved Document M: Volume 2 – Buildings other than dwellings draws on BS 8300 for guidance to ensure buildings are accessible and user friendly. The main objective of these regulations is to enable everyone regardless of disability, age or gender, to travel around the building without discomfort or risk.,
Health Building Note (HBN) 00-10 Part B: Walls & Ceilings outlines the policy and performance requirements for walls & ceilings specified for healthcare facilities. The document also identifies most suitable types of finishes for different areas.
Need Some Advice?
As a leading manufacturer and supplier of wall protection systems we are fully conversant with the relevant legislation requirements for wall protection. Our team of wall protection specialists would be happy to come to your facility, evaluate you protection requirements and present a bespoke proposal to meet the needs of your facility. Or offer a presentation covering the various legislation in a bit more detail.
CUSTOMERS WE'VE HELPED
CS Acrovyn Joins ProCure 22 Framework
Following thorough evaluation, CS Acrovyn has recently been awarded a position on the recommended list of suppliers for the ProCure 22 Framework in the Wall & Door Protection category.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
Our team of wall protection experts would be happy to drop by your facility and offer an Audit of you current protection requirements, or if you would like to know a bit more about the relevant legislation and how it applies to your facility they would be happy to do an educational presentation covering all of it.
Simply complete the form on the right, and then Ros from our team will give you a call to arrange a convenient date and time.
