Hospital renovations are essential for maintaining and improving healthcare facilities, but they present unique challenges in terms of patient care and safety.
These projects require careful planning, organisational skills, practical tasks, and execution to minimise disruption to the lives of others and ensure the health and safety of patients, staff, the local community, and visitors.
In this blog, we’ll explore effective hoarding strategies for hospital renovations, emphasising the critical role of temporary partitioning in maintaining hospital operations during construction. We’ll discuss why hoarding is crucial, key considerations for hospital environments, and how Plas-Shop’s innovative solutions can address these challenges.
Infection Control: In a hospital setting, infection control and personal hygiene are paramount. Renovation work can release dust, debris, and potentially harmful particles into the air, posing a health risk to patients with compromised immune systems. Effective hoarding with hygienic wipe-down surfaces is vital to create a barrier between construction areas and patient care zones, preventing the spread of contaminants and maintaining a sterile environment.
Patient and Staff Safety: Construction sites pose numerous safety risks, including falling objects, exposed wiring, and trip hazards. Proper hoarding creates a physical barrier that protects patients, staff, visitors, and the entire house from these dangers, ensuring their safety throughout the renovation process. This is particularly important for patients with mobility problems or those in older age who may be more vulnerable to accidents, especially when experiencing very strong emotions and a stressful life event.
Noise Reduction: Hospital environments require peace and quiet for patient recovery and for staff to be able to concentrate on their main treatment goals. Construction noise can be disruptive and stressful, potentially affecting patient outcomes and work performance from the start to the end of treatment. High-quality hoarding materials can significantly reduce noise transmission, creating a more comfortable environment for everyone in the facility.
Visual Barrier: Renovation work can be unsightly and potentially distressing for patients and visitors, and as such huge amounts of clutter or various types of objects left unattended are not a good idea. Hoarding provides a clean, professional visual barrier that maintains the hospital’s aesthetic appeal and prevents unnecessary anxiety or concern among patients and their family members.
Security: During renovations, hospital areas may become more vulnerable to unauthorised access. Proper hoarding systems can incorporate secure access points, ensuring that only authorised personnel can enter construction zones. This is crucial for protecting sensitive medical equipment, huge amounts of electronic data, maintaining overall hospital security, and a range of items of monetary value.
Infection Control Compliance: Hospital hoarding must meet strict infection control standards. Materials should be non-porous, easy to clean, and resistant to microbial growth. Regular cleaning and maintenance of hoarding surfaces are essential to prevent the accumulation of pathogens over long periods of time, preventing significant problems.
Fire Safety: In the event of a fire, hospital hoarding must not contribute to the spread of flames or toxic fumes. Fire-rated materials and proper installation techniques are crucial to ensure patient and staff safety during emergencies. To ensure your site is as fire-safe as possible, it’s important to avoid having an excessive number of items, or a high amount of clutter.
Durability and Stability: Hospital renovations can extend over a long period of time, so hoarding materials must be durable enough to withstand the rigours and at times chaotic manner of a construction environment. Stability is also crucial to prevent collapse or damage that could compromise safety and infection control measures.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Hospital renovation projects often require changes in scope or layout. Hoarding systems should be easily adaptable to accommodate these changes without compromising their effectiveness or requiring extensive reinstallation.
Aesthetics: While functionality is paramount, the appearance of hoarding in a hospital setting shouldn’t be overlooked. Clean, professional-looking hoarding can help maintain a sense of calm and order, which is important for patient well-being and staff morale.
Modular uPVC Planks: Plas-Shop’s Plasloc 2400mm Board offers an ideal solution for hospital hoarding needs. These modular uPVC planks provide a range of benefits that address the unique challenges of hospital renovations:
Access Tunnels: Plas-Shop’s bespoke Temporary Pedestrian Access Tunnels are an excellent solution for maintaining safe pathways through construction areas in hospitals. These tunnels offer:
Plas-Shop is a national leader in the manufacture and supply of temporary hoarding solutions. With 15 years of experience serving the UK, we’ve collaborated with major brands such as John Lewis, Mercedes Benz, and NatWest.
Our products have been developed for use as segregation partitioning in challenging commercial environments, ranging from demo wall systems in shopping centres to construction hoarding for site perimeters and access tunnels.
We offer a comprehensive range of hoarding solutions, including:
At Plas-Shop, we’re committed to sustainability. Our products are designed for long-term use, and when they reach the end of their lifecycle, we responsibly recycle them, contributing to a more eco-friendly construction industry.
For all your temporary hoarding needs, whether for hospital renovations or other construction projects, Plas-Shop is your trusted partner. Contact us today at 01626 241124 or email [email protected] to discuss your project requirements. Alternatively, visit our stores in Newton Abbot, Welwyn Garden City, or Bradford. Choose Plas-Shop for quality, innovation, and commitment to safety in temporary hoarding solutions.
Shop direct with Plas-Shop, we serve the entirety of the UK and have done for 15 years; collaborating with major brands such as John Lewis, Mercedes Benz and NatWest.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01626 241124 or contact our sister company Plasloc located at our head office in Newton Abbot or our stores in Welwyn Garden City and Bradford.
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