Taking the right steps for success

HEJ examines some of the key considerations for buyers and users with the help of some of the straightforward and comprehensive guidance available online from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

 Sometimes perhaps not afforded the importance it should be in healthcare settings, good flooring, i.e. flooring that is eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing, but also fit-for-purpose in terms of durability, cleanability, safety, and infection resistance, can make a major difference to the overall ‘quality’ of the healthcare environment – an environment which, with April’s introduction of the successor to PEAT, the PLACE environmental assessment scheme (see pages 32-35), is likely to come under ever-increasing scrutiny. However, given tightening budgets, and the fact that, in public buildings particularly, flooring may have to last many years, not to mention that the ‘wrong’ material may result in accidents, choosing the right flooring – whether for a reception area, ward, wet room, imaging suite, or operating theatre – is a decision that both requires, and merits, careful consideration. Alongside aesthetics – after all, alongside new wallcoverings, lighting systems, and furniture, attractive flooring can do much to brighten up drab spaces and afford a less ‘institutional’ feel – safety is paramount. It is no good choosing particularly eye-catching flooring for, say, the main reception area of a large acute hospital without ensuring that it is both sufficiently robust and durable to cope with extremely heavy traffic, and has sufficient slip resistance to prevent patients with, for example, wet shoes, falling over as soon as they enter.

Slips and trips