WATER HYGIENE AND SAFETY – SPECIAL REPORT
Applying first principles to hygienic washroom design
The last six months have provided a unique opportunity to review current behaviour, evaluate best practice, and reconsider hygiene in healthcare facilities. A recent review of existing Department of Health infection control guidance caused Carole Armstrong, Marketing and Communications manager at Delabie UK, to reflect that, as she puts it, ‘we don’t need to reinvent the wheel’. Existing guidance already provides an excellent starting point for best practice, especially in healthcare, where the recommendations regarding hand hygiene also provide common sense guidelines for other aspects of washroom design.
Design plays an influential role in hand hygiene. According to Health Building Note 00-09 (HBN 00-09), if the facilities are well-designed and suitably located, the user will be motivated to adopt and comply with good hand hygiene practices. However, this relies on informed decisions being made at the project planning stage to ensure the desired outcome at the implementation stage. The guidance provides three examples of design principles: to facilitate cleanliness and cleaning; to encourage desired behaviour, and design for easy cleaning. Although the guidance has not changed significantly, recent years have seen advances in the materials and technology adopted by sanitaryware, tapware, and hygienic equipment manufacturers. If key stakeholders, such as the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Estates & Facilities teams, are aware of these developments during the planning stage, good hygiene practice will be assured.
Facilitating cleanliness and cleaning in washrooms
In terms of cleanliness, the starting point for HBN 00-09 is the material finish: ‘The quality of finishes in all clinical areas should be readily cleaned and resilient… and surfaces should be impervious, smooth and free from joints and seams.’ Stainless steel is well-established as a durable and unbreakable material in healthcare settings. It has the unique ability to react with oxygen in air and water to form an invisible protective layer which repairs itself instantly if it gets scratched – a process called self-passivation. The surface can, therefore, withstand any impact from daily use, as well as regular and intensive cleaning. It remains hard and smooth, with reduced bacterial retention, due to its uniform, non-porous surface. Cleaning is therefore easier and sustainable, requiring less cleaning product.
One-piece seam-free WC pans Highly versatile, stainless steel can be rolled and pressed to form one-piece, seam-free WC pans, janitorial units, or scrub-up troughs with rounded edges, providing hygiene and safety benefits for users. Stainless steel is also widely used for grab bars and support rails in assisted washrooms, but it can also improve cleanliness in non-clinical washrooms in public areas. This versatility, in conjunction with its hygienic properties and resistance to intensive use, makes it the ideal material for soap or hand-rub dispensers, paper towel dispensers, waste bins, and even toilet brush sets. Ease of cleaning is a priority on the design brief, while the ability to withstand heavy-handed use is vital where accessories are used intensively.
Designed for hygiene
Smooth external surfaces are an obvious asset when it comes to washroom hygiene, but smooth internal surfaces are also important when considering the water distribution system. Recent years have seen taps and showers with rough interiors (created by the casting process) replaced by smooth interiors with no niches where bacteria can adhere. Similarly, open flow outlets made from smooth plastic, such as Hostaform, provide a hygienic solution at the point of delivery, as there is nowhere for scale or impurities to adhere. They also reduce splashing and eliminate aerosol formation, helping to minimise environmental contamination. Easy to clean and requiring minimal servicing, they are an increasingly popular option.
User convenience, considered product design, and informed specification, are vital during the planning stage to encourage best hygiene practice in healthcare washing facilities, Delabie argues.
32 Health Estate Journal December 2020
The threat from waterborne bacteria in the system is ever-present. To facilitate system cleanliness, HBN 00-09 requires estates teams to ‘eliminate or minimise dead-legs and blind ends in water systems’. Over time, the water delivery system gradually adapts to meet the evolving needs of the facility. In recent
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
