Whiterock impact-resistance wall from Altro Safety Flooring for hospitals

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are under increasing pressure to maintain damaged walls caused by impacts. As hospital beds, trolleys and equipment become larger and heavier, and schedules get tighter, increasing levels of damage has become unavoidable. The damage ranges from scratches and scrapes to major holes.

The question of how to cost-effectively manage the problem of constantly repairing corridor walls is a burning issue for hospital engineers. Puncture holes and deep gouges into the plaster sheet require regular filling, sanding and painting. The repair process can take 4 days or more, often requiring the whole wall to be re-painted, causing much disruption to patient care. This damage occurs despite installed guard rails and the wall is often damaged again within days or weeks of completing the initial repairs.

Hospital engineers have experimented with numerous materials to tackle this issue, with varying success.

Altro Whiterock, while new to Australia, had proven its impact-resistance credentials over many years in hospital and healthcare facilities in UK and Europe.

Additional benefits provided by Altro Whiterock include an integral biocide that inhibits the spread of 'super bugs' like MRSA and VRE, thereby supporting the hospital's infection control measures. It also reduces cleaning times due to its smooth surface and fully sealed joints. Like Altro's renowned safety flooring, germs have nowhere to hide on Altro Whiterock wall cladding, making it the better choice than alternatives such as ceramic tiles. Furthermore, Whiterock is supported by a 10 year product warranty that's so typical of Altro.

Early estimations from a major Queensland public hospital indicate the Altro Whiterock installation will pay back in just 1 year, when compared to the laborious and expensive maintenance process and disruptions to daily productivity.

These photos show incomplete repairs to a damaged hospital wall while an Altro Whiterock installation protects the opposing wall.