50 DOORS, WINDOWS & GLAZING SYSTEMS Bespoke influences on Anti-ligature design By Mike O’Brien, Sales Development Manager, Laidlaw Solutions Limited
EARLY DESIGNS OF ANTI-LIGATURE DOOR FURNITURE WERE DRIVEN MORE BY FUNCTIONALITY THAN AESTHETICS, BUT AS LESS RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENTS HAVE BEEN CREATED IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE NEED FOR GREATER PATIENT PRIVACY AND DIGNITY, STYLING HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT. IN THE PROCESS, HOWEVER, THE ABSENCE OF AN ASSOCIATED BRITISH STANDARD HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT TO STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN SAFETY, PERFORMANCE AND APPEARANCE.
D
espite the fact that some anti-ligature products, primarily hinges and lock cases, have the backing of international
standards and performance tests, continued procurement by lowest tender invites similar problems. The Door & Hardware Federation’s Technical Specification TS 001 - Door mounted anti-ligature devices for safety and security purposes, introduced in November 2005, included a proposed classification of anti-ligature devices, test methods and grades of safety. However, possibly because tests have been confined mainly to hinges, the document has not been reviewed since.
Anti-ligature performance specifications may, therefore, be specific to individual projects, with consequent implications for product design. For North Devon District Hospital’s Mental Health Unit in Barnstaple, architects W S Atkins specified a range of anti-ligature products from Laidlaw Solutions, but as Jason Hylton-Smith explained, “We identified the
importance of clutch operation and spring loading of latches and told Laidlaw’s designers that the needs of this particular unit had led us to set a lower spring loading requirement. It was reassuring to find that the necessary adjustments could be made without difficulty.”
For the £1.5m Hadley Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit at Newtown Hospital, Worcester, architects 'The Design Büro' also sought to incorporate anti-ligature fittings with lightly sprung lock cases in a complex specification which included doors fitted with electro- magnetic operation and key-operable, louvre- vision glazing panels.
There have been suggestions that the best means of removing potential ligature points is by reducing the extent of projections from the face of doors and frames.
However, chamfered and bevelled edges remain the tried and tested option, and
recent developments with knob sets, escutcheons, lever handle roses, hinges and face-fixed door pulls have continued to apply this principle. Chamfered knuckles are also now available for continuous full-height hinges, often the preferred option in psychiatric and secure environments.
In addition to anti-ligature prevention, recent developments have addressed the issue of primary and secondary barricade prevention. In products such as a bedroom lockset, one option is for automatic locking via a nightlatch function which enables the door to lock automatically upon closing. A 20 degree turn of the internal anti-ligature thumb turn releases the latch, allowing the door to be pulled open by an internal anti-ligature pull. Externally, the door can be opened by a control key.
There can be little doubt that increasingly detailed and varied doorset specifications have put greater pressure on anti-ligature hardware performance, with the input of project designers prompting rapid prototyping in cases such as Newtown Hospital PICU. Changing attitudes to the needs of vulnerable adults has prompted a shift towards finishes such as 'brushed stainless steel' and 'silk anodised aluminium'. It is reassuring to reflect that such contemporary, unobtrusive styling has prompted positive comment from a cross-section of those under care. Increased public spending can, in one area at least, be given credit for hastening real progress.
Orbis Anti-ligature turn handle
Laidlaw Solutions Ltd Click here to request literature
Co-ordinated locksets available with either primary or secondary barricade function
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