CLEANING & HYGIENE
WASHROOM DESIGN: SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE USERS
Dudley Industries looks at ways FMs, designers and building owners can attend to the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people in washrooms.
Safeguarding vulnerable users in washroom environments is an important consideration for designers, building owners and FMs. It is especially pertinent in hospitals and healthcare premises, where many users may experience problems associated with dementia or mental ill-health. However, it can also be a significant design issue in custodial settings and other buildings where self-harm may be a risk.
Preventing self-harm In settings where some users are at risk of harming themselves, one of the most significant safeguarding challenges is to prevent opportunities to attach a ligature. Such risks may arise in prisons, courts and police stations, in mental healthcare premises and in some specialist educational, rehabilitation or refuge-type properties.
Recent data from the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership highlights the scale of the problem. HQIP records that between 2009-2019, there were 1,109 suicide deaths by in-patients, and between 2009 and 2014 there were on average 32 deaths per year by strangulation, many of these were from low lying ligature points and the majority took place in a single bedroom or bathroom.
The washroom is a private space and often used unsupervised so anti-ligature design solutions are therefore especially important.
Self-harm is a significant problem but there is good guidance available to designers. The NHS ‘Never Events’ policy and framework documents list incidents that have the potential to cause serious harm or death, but which are wholly preventable if appropriate safety recommendations are implemented. The accompanying guidance covers a variety of interior settings, such as bathrooms and bedrooms, and refers to the use of anti-ligature fittings such as collapsible shower and curtain rails.
Other guidance is available in the ‘Health Building Notes’ published by the Department of Health. They provide an overview of best practice when designing or modifying healthcare buildings. HBN 00-01 offers general design for guidance, while HBN 00-02 provides detailed guidance on the use of dispensers in sanitary spaces.
In an environment where there is a credible risk of self- harm, all fixtures and fittings should be anti-ligature.
In a washroom, specialist products are available that feature flat, downward-sloping surfaces and have no removable components. They are installed in-conjunction with a wall plate that creates a secure recess in which to house the dispenser. They therefore attach very securely and reduce potential points to attach a ligature
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and minimise potential stash points for contraband. The ranges include toilet roll and tissue holders, soap dispensers and paper towel dispensers. An important design element is the recessed barrel-lock which maintains a flush, smooth surface and ensures that there are no protruding components to which a ligature could be attached.
It is also important to specify robust safety mirrors that will produce no sharp glass shards if damaged.
Designing for Dementia In an ageing society, dementia is increasingly common and, for people with the condition, entering an unfamiliar washroom can be disorientating. However, the use of contrasting colours can help to focus attention and offer people visual cues to guide them through the washroom process.
Accordingly, washroom equipment manufacturers now offer ranges that feature strongly coloured wall-plates. White-on-blue is an ideal combination, because blue is often felt to have a calming effect, but the key element is contrast. Contrast helps to cut through the visual ‘noise’ and distraction of busy washrooms, and when installed in a logical order, such products can guide the user efficiently through each stage of washing and drying. Making that route roughly circular, beginning and ending at the door, will also help to remove bottlenecks and crowding in the room, which many users might otherwise find stressful or challenging.
Dudley Industries offers design support for washrooms where user-safeguarding is a concern. Its SafeGuard Anti-Ligature range of dispensers has been designed in conjunction with the experts at the Anti-Ligature Shop.
www.dudleyindustries.com
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