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Company stresses importance of flooring in hospitals

23rd May 2014

By: Jonathan Rodin

  

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The ‘Impact of the Environment on Infections in Healthcare Facilities’ study, conducted by healthcare and design professionals the Centre for Health Design director of research Anjali Joseph, in July 2006, has shown that flooring is a significant health factor in hospitals, clinics and other healthcare environments, as modern healthcare design is about creating homely, relaxed environments to aid patients in the healing process.

Light, bright and airy spaces can have a significant impact on the ‘feel’ of a hospital. When part of a complete design concept, floors can even aid the healing process. 

“Even more important than a floor’s aesthetics, is that a floor must have the ability to perform and meet tough criteria such as durability, hygiene and easy maintenance,” says flooring specialist Polyflor South Africa (SA) marketing director Tandy Coleman-Spolander.

Within the healthcare sector, two factors have largely influenced the expansion of solutions – environmental sustainability and multi-functional use. 

Coleman-Spolander explains that vinyl flooring offers one of the best environment-sustainable options in flooring, owing to its construction, which is largely polyvivyl chloride (PVC) and calcium carbonate, a natural and abundant resource.

Polyflor vinyls products conform to all European PVC standards and contain no unwanted additives. PVC flooring comes in a sheet form, which is welded to form an impervious surface. It also offers a complete hygiene solution, which is critical in the healthcare environment, she adds.

Recently completed hospital and healthcare installations by Polyflor SA include Brits Hospital in the North West, Frere Hospital in East London, in the Eastern Cape, Gassy Park Community Clinic in the Western Cape and the King Edward VII Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

“One requirement hospitals share is the need for the complete floor to be visibly clean, including all edges and corners. A clean floor is a healthy floor.

“However, different locations within a hospital, clinic or surgery have distinct flooring requirements, depending on its function,” notes Coleman-Spolander.

Hospital floors must also be non-slip to prevent slips and falls by patients, visitors and busy staff.  Wet-rooms, such as bathrooms, must be slip-resistant, and specialised slip-resistant solutions are available to ensure safety in these areas.
Areas where there is sensitive equipment that could be damaged by static, require a special electrostatic dissipative solution. “Static accumulates in our bodies and in the environment around us. It is caused by friction, especially in high altitude, hot and dry conditions. While a static charge may give a person a small shock and be uncomfortable, it is detrimental to equipment which could be very costly to replace. Electrostatic dissipative flooring dissipates static, therefore, ensuring it does not accumulate,” explains Coleman-Spolander.

She highlights that Polyflor SA is able to provide all of this and more to hospitals and clinics with its total solutions - for instance the Gradus wall protection system, which is both durable and aesthetically pleasing.

The polyurethane reinforcement range in particular is ideal floor for ward environments.  It is low maintenance, which protects the floor, and facilitates a lifelong polish-free maintenance regime. “Independent tests have demonstrated that the growth of bacteria is inhibited by this product,” explains Coleman-Spolander.

Neutral colours with bright accents continue to be a popular trend in modern hospitals, creating a cheerful yet dignified atmosphere, as hospitals are moving away from the traditional look of vinyl floors to a more non-clinical feel.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

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