Choosing flooring for healthcare takes careful consideration. New legislation in healthcare places greater responsibility on those throughout the supply chain to ensure the safety of staff, visitors, and patients – now, and in the future.
This undoubtedly impacts on flooring choices, but there is also the need for the most stringent hygiene, an aesthetically pleasing healing environment, maintenance and cleaning considerations, environmental impact, and some very specific requirements for dementia and elderly care to consider. Martyn West, Altro’s specification manager, examines these key issues.
In March 2013, in its Health Building Note HBN 00-10, the Department of Health updated its recommendations in respect of performance requirements for building elements used in healthcare facilities. These include a subtle, but important shift of emphasis that places greater responsibility on building commissioners, architects, designers, specifiers, and contractors, to recommend and choose the right flooring to reduce the risks of slips and trips. Failure to make a proper risk assessment, and to identify and use the most appropriate flooring available, could open up anybody in the project chain to a liability claim in court.
The new regulations, legal requirements, and standards, are designed to ensure that flooring used in NHS estates is fit for purpose. For example:
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