Here, Martin Saunders, Sales Director at Eurocell takes a look at the latest anti-ligature window designs.

“A window that maximises natural ventilation whilst minimizing the risk of self-harm is vital within secure units. As many authorities look to design-out ligature points, the industry is responding by developing products that address these needs.

It was against this background that Britplas, a Eurocell fabricator, began working in conjunction with our design team to develop the Safevent anti-ligature window. Since being launched, the product has won “The Best Product Design for Healthcare Application” at the International Academy for Design & Heath Awards in Singapore, July 2009. Prior to this it had won “The Best Healthcare Construction Product” at the prestigious Building Better Healthcare Awards. It was also a finalist for “The Most Ecological Product” at the same event in November 2008.

Initially designed for a specific secure health unit, we are now finding that it is being used on a much wider variety of projects including hospitals, schools and office buildings and the home office has expressed interest in using it for prisons.

Anti-ligature by design

The anti-ligature design works on the principle of a horizontal sliding window with a stainless steel grill covering the open area. The grill provides security and ventilation allowing the window to be opened fully without anyone being able to escape or pass contraband into or out of the building. The grill is punched with tiny holes to create a virtually invisible screen. Although, in description, this sounds austere, it is actually surprisingly discreet. The mesh allows fresh air, natural sound and light to enter the room. Since fitting the product, many clients have found that it also prevents the dropping of objects and waste onto the grounds, saving hours of litter collection.

Britplas initiated the project when Laing O’Rourke approached it with a specific need for a window solution on Rathbone LSU for Mersey Care NHS Trust. With our support on product development, Britplas was able to present a prototype anti-ligature window to Ashworth Hospital within a couple of weeks.

Following the meeting, it was agreed that the window would be installed at Ashworth and a test carried out to verify its performance, witnessed by all interested parties. The window was attacked vigorously, which involved kicking, barging, pushing and pulling every component. Various objects commonly found around a hospital were then used to try and break through the window, without success. Patients were also pleased that the thousands of holes in the grill allowed them to see outside whilst experiencing full ventilation.

Rathbone Hospital subsequently specified the window for the new unit, which were installed over the following few months. The hospital has subsequently won awards for the design of the building as a whole. Following the success at Rathbone, the window has been specified by many different NHS Trusts nationwide, involving over a hundred separate contracts. Britplas is currently talking to talking to interested parties in countries across Europe, Asia and Australia as well as the USA.

The anti-ligature window has an in-line horizontal sliding action, allowing up to 50 per cent of the window area to open without the need for hinges, locking points, levers or handles that can create ligature points. It has an easy sliding action so that the vast majority of patients, even the very frail, can use it. The window is designed to prevent a ligature being trapped as the window closes – once pressure is applied the window simply pulls open, freeing the ligature.

Reduced carbon footprint

On many traditional buildings designed for vulnerable patients, the windows are often kept locked or were simply specified as a fixed casement. At best, they were allowed to be locked open at only 100mm, in line with Part M requirements. On warm days, this often resulted in a high dependency on air-conditioning units and subsequent higher energy use by the building.

As environmental legislation becomes more stringent, it is forcing building owners and operators to look at their own carbon footprint. Anti-ligature windows can be opened just like standard windows, with the virtually invisible grill allowing unimpeded flow of clean fresh air into the building.

Reducing reliance on air conditioning is better for the environment as well as saving a huge amount of electricity. On one particular project, Safevent reduced the utility bill by over £250,000 in the first year of being fitted. Britplas’ Safevent windows have self-cleaning glass as standard and comply with Document ‘L’ U value guidelines

The ultimate beneficiaries of anti-ligature products are the patients as they experience a truer sense of freedom and control from being able to push a window wide open allowing the fresh air and sound into their room. This contrasts starkly with the restricted openings, trickle vents or, worst of all, mechanical ventilation often found on some buildings.

For more information about the innovative Safevent window fabricated by BRITplas, telephone: 01925 577801, or visit the website at www.britplas.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 9:35 am and is filed under UPVC Profiles, UPVC Windows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.