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The Future of Healthcare Flooring: Post-COVID Challenges, Opportunities and more.

July 6, 2021

Post-COVID, we see a re-emphasis on Infection-Control Issues and related maintenance, cleanability and durability issues, as all are interrelated when it comes to resilient flooring.

The science with which many resilient floors are manufactured today while promoting a "never wax/never strip" level of performance, also contributes to the floor being more easily cleaned, merely with microfiber technology. All resilient floors need to be scrubbed mechanically on occasion. Still, certain floors, based on differing surface technology, tend to "grab" dirt, soil, and scuff marks more aggressively and necessitate cleaning with a machine more frequently.

This increased maintenance requirement is suboptimal to overstressed and understaffed EVS departments.

EVS professionals value floors maintained with less complexity, cost, and minimal FTE (Full Time Employee) hours.

One Facility Director recently shared that, due to COVID, they were down 15 FTE's. So, getting more accomplished with fewer resources and less complexity is paramount to organizational objectives. In approving Disinfectants for use, EPA Guideline OCSPP-810.2200 is employed.  OCSPP-810.2200 testing occurs with a 5% "soil load" added to the surface in recognition that hospital surfaces are rarely 100% clean. Floors that attract soil more easily or are more difficult to clean can exhibit a real-world soil load potentially far above 5%, thus risking the disinfectant's effectiveness and sub-optimizing Infection Control objectives.


Infection control and EVS outcomes are further optimized by integrated systems that can offer such value-added features as rounded corners or integrated floor and wall systems. Rounded corners are 3rd party verified as being a best practice in cleaning and infection control efforts.  Integrated floor and wall systems can minimize points of potential failure that may increase opportunities for microbes and pathogens to grow, thus increasing the potential for HAI's.  Additionally, such systems support pick-proof requirements and initiatives toward smoother surfaces in a holistic approach to increased safety. 3rd party testing, and verification of claims regarding bacteriostatic and virustatic properties have also become more highly valued in the aftermath of COVID-19. Products certified under ISO Standards 22196 and 21702 demonstrate meeting the industry's highest levels to inhibit bacterial and viral activity growth. 

We are excited about the future of healthcare design from several different standpoints. LEAN/IPD/EBD initiatives are expanded throughout the design and construction process to include flooring partners, in addition to more typical M/E/P trades. Flooring manufacturers can become valued partners in these efforts by collaborating earlier in the process to help ensure objectives are met regarding budget discipline and transparency, mitigating technical failures and challenges, and providing insight across the spectrum of Clinical, Operational, and Business outcomes. In addition, standardization initiatives and Group Purchasing continue to reduce cost and complexity by positively affecting Supply Chain/Purchasing, maintenance due to fewer variables and requirements, more in-depth application expertise and analysis, and manufacturer support of optimization of technical/operational outcomes.


NIHD Industry Partner Blogger:

Paul McKinney, EDAC
National Sales Director - Healthcare Segment, Gerflor USA*

*Gerflor USA is an Industry Partner of NIHD.


NIHD collaborates with clinicians, design professionals and industry partners in the healthcare design process to shape the future of healthcare design.

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