Cleanliness and hygiene in hospitals plays a vital role in preventing the spread of dangerous infections and diseases. It may seem like a no-brainer, but the threat of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) is very real. Hence why it’s important that hospital doors not only serve their purpose, but are designed in a way that is efficient, cost effective and practical.
Here are four crucial design elements that impact hospital doors:
1. Weight and durability
For most applications, the weight of a door is often ignored. In a hospital setting however, this is especially important. Another term for hospital doors are called ‘crash doors’ because of the frequency and speed of those who travel through. An A&E department would have high frequency and high-speed traffic both day and night. All hospital doors need to open quickly but still be durable enough to take repeated impact.
A lot of the time, it’s nurses and porters who are wheeling beds, wheelchairs and trolleys through hospital doors. They tend to travel backwards using their shoulders or heels to push through. Even when travelling forward, opening a heavy door while pushing, towing or carrying an item can prove very difficult if the weight of the hospital door is not considered.
2. Material
Our new range of Hospital products includes automatic doors for surgery rooms, analysis laboratories, X-ray diagnostic rooms and controlled access areas. The steel finishes on our hospital doors are designed improve the door design especially where fitted with any lead screening and RX -protection glazed vision panels to comply with the needs of hospitals operating in environments with X-ray equipment.
3. Seal
A tight door seal is crucial in a hospital environment and is essential for hygiene measures. It protects against dust, insects and contaminants. It’s important that the seal is not only airtight and resilient, but also has very little space for unwanted contaminants to harbour. At LABEL UK, our hospital doors are customisable with a wide range of accessories, including touchless antimicrobial activation pads and hermetic seal kits.
4. Speed
Speed is crucial in a hospital, where decisions need to be lightening fast and response times can be the difference between life and death. Whilst we’ve highlighted the importance of weight and durability on hospital doors, it’s important that every part of the hospital is designed with optimal speed in mind. By keeping weight to a minimum, you can immediately increase the speed at a door opens.
In fact, many hospitals rely on a quad-action opening mechanism, where double-hinged frames allow the door to open through 180 degrees each way. The faster the door, the less time for transfer of pathogens or other unwanted intruders.
Hygienic Doors from LABEL UK are in accordance with new standards for Europe and Britain, providing safety and security to restricted areas such as radiation rooms and all types of laboratories. Our Hermetic Doors come coated in materials suitable for sterile and clean environments, such as stainless steel and antibacterial coatings to reduce build-up of bacteria on surfaces that a high frequency of people will touch. If you’re looking for high-quality, contact us to learn more.