Improving indoor air quality
In addition to maintenance efficiencies, the elimination of harsh cleaning chemicals, coatings, waxes, and strippers also improves IAQ, which has a direct impact on health and wellness. Flooring selected for healthcare facilities should meet stringent standards for low volatile organic compound (VOC) emission, including Greenguard Gold certification, which utilizes California’s Section 01350 protocol. This certification is actually a higher level than required by Section 01350 or the major green rating systems—it tests for an additional 330 chemicals on top of the 35 required by Section 01350, and includes a total VOC (TVOC) measurement as well.
Improved IAQ, along with reduced noise levels and risk of HAIs, contributes to improved patient, caregiver, and family satisfaction. Meanwhile, an analysis of vinyl composition tile (VCT), sheet vinyl, carpet, rubber, and linoleum flooring conducted by the Florida Hospital Office of Design studied the life-cycle costs of those materials over a 15-year period. (Read more at www.interiorsandsources.com/article-details/articleid/6130/title/rubber-flooring-value-and-beauty-for-the-long-term.)
The study found VCT to be the least-expensive ‘first-cost’ material, but its maintenance protocol costs can still be nine to 15 times the cost of the installed floor due to finish requirements and the associated labor required to maintain the product.
The same study found of the products tested, rubber flooring had the lowest cost per area over the 15 years. This fact, along with the material’s performance characteristics, allows rubber floorcovering to offer excellent ROI.
Conclusion
More than a floorcovering, premium rubber flooring is a solution supporting a variety of stakeholders, including specifiers, designers, healthcare administrators, caregivers, and—perhaps most importantly—patients and their families. Premium rubber flooring and its inherent product attributes provide a sound focus on operational optimization, clinical efficiency, and patient/caregiver outcomes, while offering a solution that best supports the link between the physical environment, reimbursement drivers, and patient and caregiver well-being, fostering the human-centered needs in a healthcare environment.
Tasha Hughes is a public relations and marketing specialist for nora systems, an international rubber flooring manufacturer dedicated to developing premium flooring solutions for various commercial markets, including healthcare, education, industry, life science, labs, and public buildings. She can be reached via e-mail at tasha.hughes@nora.com.
Sandra Soraci, EDAC, LEED AP, NCIDQ, is the marketing leader, healthcare solutions, for nora systems. She has been a healthcare designer and thought leader for more than 20 years. As a designer, Soraci’s mission is to collaborate with and support the challenges nora’s healthcare partners are faced with. She can be reached via e-mail at sandra.soraci@nora.com.
