Rubber Flooring: A healthy choice for patients and staff

by Katie Daniel | December 14, 2015 4:06 pm

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By Tasha Hughes
As design professionals identify products for healthcare projects, they frequently find themselves making recommendations based not only on patient comfort, but also on the well-being of those working in the space. This means specifying materials and finishes promoting healthy, healing environments while contributing to a safe, productive workplace.

In the case of floorcoverings, rubber flooring can support both objectives. These rubber flooring assemblies can offer:

• infection control;
• improved indoor air quality (IAQ);
• sound-dampening properties;
• comfort underfoot;
• easy maintenance; and
• slip resistance.

Nonporous flooring resists dirt and bacteria
Rubber floor’s dense, nonporous composition makes it difficult for dirt and bacteria to collect and breed. Naturally bacteriostatic and fungistatic, rubber floorcoverings can help prevent infection in facilities by inhibiting the growth and reproduction of harmful micro-organisms. In hospitals—where exposure to bacteria and fungi is a common challenge—rubber flooring can help protect vulnerable patients and medical staff by meeting strict healthcare regulations and specifications for bacteriostatic interior surfaces.

This same nonporous composition enables the floorcovering to repel dirt and resist chemicals and disinfectants. Additionally, some rubber products do not need finishing, waxing, or sealing—eliminating the need for labour-intensive stripping and re-coating. These types of floors do not need cleaning products containing harsh chemicals to ensure a deep clean. In fact, some manufacturers offer cleaning methods that use tap water—saving healthcare facilities money on chemicals that would typically be employed
for maintenance.

Such a floor’s simple cleaning regimen also means large areas of buildings do not need to be removed from service while wax is applied and allowed to dry—which is especially important in busy healthcare facilities operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Woodstock Hospital safety and comfort
As the Southwestern Ontario community of Woodstock grew, it became necessary to expand services to community members, including the construction of a new hospital to replace the original facility opened in 1895. Over its 100-year lifespan, the original facility underwent multiple renovations and additions in the 1950s and 1970s. Eventually, it was unable to sustain the community, and a larger building was needed.

The hospital responded to the health needs of the community by constructing a new 32,516-m² (350,000-sf) facility to provide primary care to a population of 55,000 and specialized care to nearly 110,000 within the County of Oxford. The facility more than doubled the size of the original hospital.

With 178 beds, the three-storey facility offers a full range of clinical services and programs, including:

• physiotherapy and rehabilitation services;
• cardio-respiratory services;
• a pharmacy service;
• laboratory services;
• a new inpatient rehabilitation program;
• a diagnostic imaging department;
• surgical services;
• inpatient medical/surgical beds;
• critical care and complex continuing care;
• a maternal/child/women’s health unit; and
• impatient and outpatient acute mental health services.

The designers wanted the new facility to be bright and cheerful while also providing safety for patients and staff.

“We needed the capability to expand and accommodate additional services and use new technology to better serve the community,” said Blake Hughes, the director of capital projects for the hospital.

As plans took shape and construction began, administrators paid careful attention to the selection of finishes and furnishings for the new facility.

“We looked at different areas and the types of increased services we offered. For example, what type of flooring would be best-suited for dialysis patients and staff, especially with regard to spills and chemicals? We also considered comfort in operating rooms and emergency departments, where the nursing staff remain on their feet throughout an entire shift. Our goal was to minimize the amount of stress and strain they experienced and give them more comfort,” remarked Hughes.

The hospital conducted trials on several flooring products recommended by Parkin Architects. They also made phone calls to other hospitals using rubber flooring, including some that installed the floorcovering more than 40 years ago.

It was important the hospital environment be ergonomically correct for staff members. Things like slip hazards, comfort, and patient mobility were major priorities for the floors.

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Based on its findings, the hospital selected rubber floors and installed them in a variety of areas, including general corridors, the emergency department, operating rooms, diagnostic imaging, exam rooms, radiology, labs, and pharmacy areas. The floor’s slip-resistant properties made operating rooms safer, while its resiliency helped minimize foot, leg, and back pain experienced by nurses who work long shifts constantly on their feet and on the move. The floor’s dense, nonporous surface means spills and stains are easily cleaned up and removed, which is also a frequent concern in the healthcare environment.

Additionally, the hospital appreciated the floor’s simple cleaning regimen, which eliminates the need for sealants, waxes, and harsh cleaning chemicals. This ensures the hospital can continue to run without any downtime or air quality issues from cleaning.

“Having a simplified maintenance routine positively impacts patients and staff. Because the smell of floor finish can be quite strong, you have to clear out a room completely. With rubber, you entirely eliminate that. It makes a significant difference in down time,” said John Schram, housekeeping supervisor at Woodstock Hospital.

Patients can benefit because they are not exposed to the harmful fumes of cleaning and do not need to be moved during the cleaning process. They can remain in their rooms and continue to recover without disruption, while staff can continue to perform their jobs uninterrupted.

The absence of fumes associated with harsh cleaning products, waxes, and sealants contributes to improved IAQ, as does the absence of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), plasticizers (e.g. phthalates), or halogens (e.g. chlorine) in the flooring. In addition, some rubber floorcoverings have earned IAQ certifications, like GREENGUARD Gold, that ensure low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Patients and staff benefit from an environment that safeguards their health and promotes healing.

Less noise, more healing
The acoustic properties of rubber flooring further enhance healing and recovery by contributing to a quieter environment. Noise generated by footsteps, conversations, equipment, and doors closing is reduced and far less distracting.

While most building materials simply transfer noise throughout the space, rubber flooring’s acoustic properties reduce the amount of sound being generated and contribute to a quieter environment. The structure of rubber flooring also enables it to absorb sound, rather than just reflect it. For patients, improved acoustics encourage the rest and sleep important for recovery. For nurses and other workers, it means the ability to better concentrate, retain information, and respond to patients—increasing productivity in the process.

A hospital’s rubber floors can help diminish the noise of rolling carts and footsteps by absorbing the impact of footfalls, and increasing the traction of wheels to the floor surface. This type of floorcovering also absorbs shock and eliminates the resultant noises.

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Easy on the legs
Nurses typically work long shifts—12 hours or more—and walk great distances—as much as 8 km (5 mi)—in the course of a day or night. Proper footwear can help reduce some of the harmful effects of prolonged standing and walking, but resilient rubber flooring can also assist in the battle against fatigue, aching backs, legs, and feet. The resilient structure of rubber absorbs the pressure of footsteps and eases the stress of walking and standing. It actually helps prevent foot and leg fatigue as it ensures comfort underfoot and allows staff to concentrate on the work at hand rather than the pain in their feet.

Resilient rubber floorcoverings also provides extra traction to help prevent hazardous slips and trips for staff, patients, and visitors.

“The rubber floor does offer better traction when it is wet compared to some of the other surfaces we have such as vinyl composition tile (VCT), where it’s been waxed and gets slippery when you walk on it,” said David Cantrell, director of engineering/facilities at Children’s Hospital of Alabama.

Rubber flooring’s slip-resistant properties are enhanced by its natural density. The floor does not absorb liquids and spills, and can be cleaned up quickly and effectively—minimizing the likelihood of slip hazards. When falls do occur, the resiliency and elasticity of rubber flooring provide a more cushioned landing to reduce the likelihood of possible serious injury.

As healthcare facilities enjoy the many performance benefits of rubber flooring, administrators will quickly appreciate the durability the floor delivers. An extended lifecycle—as long as 30 years—reduces the need for frequent removal and disposal. When combined with lower maintenance costs, this extended lifecycle makes the floorcovering an attractive, less expensive choice over time than other options available to healthcare facilities.

Performance and appearance that go hand-in-hand
Available in a variety of colours, textures, and patterns, the floor easily supports a building design, incorporating colourful accents and inlays to provide important wayfinding or teaching tools. Additionally, the floor’s versatility in performance and design promotes transition from one area of a building to another for a co-ordinated and cohesive look. This minimizes a building owner’s investment in multiple flooring products and the different and sometimes conflicting maintenance requirements, performance features, and longevity claims that come with them.

Knowing what floorcovering to specify for a healthcare facility begins with an understanding of the performance requirements attached to the flooring—what features are necessary to ensure an environment conducive to healing and what properties help create a safe, comfortable workplace fostering efficiency and productivity.

[4]Tasha Hughes is a public relations and marketing specialist for nora systems, an international rubber flooring manufacturer dedicated to developing premium flooring solutions for a variety of commercial markets, including healthcare, education, industry, life science labs, and public buildings. She can be reached at tasha.hughes@nora.com[5].

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/rubber-flooring-a-healthy-choice-for-patients-and-staff/

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