Futurebrite™ Technology The most common failing relates to the width of the Landing needing to be 1.6 mtr. That’s the minimum allowed width with stairs of equally minimal size for Compliance. There is a proviso, (not an escape clause); deemed to comply; a feature such as wider stairs: this may provide an acceptable turning radius for stretchers on a 1.5 mtr landing.
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Of all the defects and deficiencies built into Hospitals these days, believe me, this is one of the most common and worst, it’s a major hazard and very complex and costly to fix. Yes, I spent many years upgrading old Hospitals – installing external Fire Escapes Stairs because the internal Stairs failed the Code, but again, that was with some old Hospitals. To witness this failure in industry today is agonising, because there is such profound contempt or ignorance; relating to the importance of a Hospital’s Evacuation capability. Over the years, I have trained more than twenty thousand persons, in all areas of Safety, including; practical exercise drills: down the stairs involving non-ambulant situations. These design mistakes are made by those with zero experience in Hospital Evacuation. If there was an Evacuation of a Hotel, or another commercial building such as an office block, it would be unlikely to have high numbers of unconscious or non-ambulant persons to address at the first instance. In a Surgical Hospital, there is usually a high proportion of Patients requiring teamwork to move them to a safe compartment or level. From my experience, some patients are in such a fragile state, that a stretcher or even an Albac-Mat is unsuitable; a Mattress must be utilised with evac. sheets or straps. It’s almost impossible, for staff to safely negotiate the Stairs, with Hotel size landings of 1.2 M width – with an adult patient on a Stretcher; those that argue have never tried it! The mandated width of 1.6 M, also allows for congestion with wheel chair patients being carried and of course Bariatric Patients; invariably have to go down on a mattress. From my involvement in Fire Safety management and as a WHS professional; 1.6 mtrs x 2.7 mtrs is just sufficient for the landing, anything less voids Duty of Care in Hospitals. Today, many Hospital’s harbour an evil secret awaiting discovery; for some, it may follow a disaster; with a category one violation under the Work Health Safety Act.2011, with the latest due diligence requirements in WHS; a prison sentence maybe waiting. Personally, I know major hospitals in the public and private sector taking in thousands of Patients annually,, yet the PCBU fails this most essential area; involving Duty of Care !. The second item I wish to present relates to Dept of Health Guidelines involving Room Data Sheets and room area; affecting Patients plus overall Work Health & Safety. I do appreciate that the Eastern States of Australia tend to have a more formal structure of administering the industry requirements but there appears to be adherence elsewhere. This problem, relates to the conflict of attempting to place too many rooms upon a given floor; then end up with a Hospital that fails the guidelines, with undersize rooms. Some Architects treat
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FUTUREBRITE™ Technology Pty Ltd Suite 2, 180 Main Road Speers Point NSW 2284 P: 02 4958 8588 | F: 02 4953 0805 E: sales@futurebrite.com.au W: www.futurebrite.com.au
THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2013
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