Context

Contour carried out a survey at a care home in the South of England, then manufactured and installed 47 low surface temperature (LST) radiator covers and 100m of pipe boxing.

New radiator covers meant that this care home is now up to standards with safer surface heating guidelines and radiator guards are now accessible for cleaning and maintenance.

The context for this care home is important to note as there had been a recent surge in vulnerable residents. This meant that extra precautions had to be taken into consideration to provide users with the safest possible solution.

Project detail

Previous radiator covers that had no access for cleaning and maintenance causing significant dust and bacteria build-up which, if left unattended, could have caused numerous health issues for those living in the facility.

Previous radiators were worn out, rusty and had exposed pipework – an added concern which could have caused severe burns if an individual were to come into contact with it.

Key challenges

  • Poor access for cleaning and maintenance, causing dust build-up

  • Exposed areas of pipework, creating a burn risk

  • Poorly designed radiators, causing potential for injury (either by residents falling against them, or coming into contact with the hot surface)

  • Not aesthetically-pleasing (whilst not safety related, this will have an impact in the overall look and feel of the care home)

  • Old rusting covers posed an infection control risk

Is dust harmful?

Dust is known to be harmful to health as it contains small particles of debris and dead skin. The small size of dust means it can be inhaled and present a potential immune reaction.

These reactions can be minor or major depending on the individuals. This will particularly be more dangerous to more vulnerable individuals at the care home due to their weakened immune systems.

Dust can also serve as a ‘fomite’, possibly containing viruses and potential infections that can be passed on.

Therefore, dust traps at this care home cause challenges for infection control due to not being able to properly remove them.

Exposed piping

Prior radiators at this care home had exposed piping reaching up to a staggering 80°C. This provides potential dangers to the vulnerable individuals at the care home and doesn’t align with safe surface heating guidelines.

An individual could have seriously scalded themselves on the high heat temperature of the piping.

Solution

A retro design was installed with a bespoke solution with Contour’s DeepClean low surface temperature radiator covers.

The DeepClean LST radiator guard is built using a patented, quick-release hinged door. This allows the front of the casing to be laid flat on the floor to provide easy access to clean the radiator.

These features allow for cleaning and maintenance to be optimised, something the care home was not able to do with previous radiators.

As standard, most of Contour’s LST radiators come with BioCote® protection. This unique powder coating can help combat a range of dangerous bacteria such as MRSA and E.coli, reducing the spread of infection.

Outcome

This care home transformed its previous heating to a safer heating solution. Access for cleaning and maintenance will enable the care home to keep infection rates and dust traps down.

The pipe boxing means that service users are now protected from scalding themselves on exposed piping.