Altro - Hospitals

Altro integrated solutions for hospitals

Altro has worked in healthcare for over 60 years so we understand the performance needs of the environment.

In the healthcare market today, when you select interior surface finishes for any refurbishment or new build projects, there are many factors to consider.

Surface finishes must:

• Meet strict infection control, hygiene and health and safety standards

• Be easy to clean

• Retain their appearance through the life of the product

• Be durable

• Retain their slip resistance

We provide a one-stop-shop for floor and wall cladding products for the healthcare environment

– solutions you can have confidence in.

We can offer you

• Help with specifications

• Extensive product selection

• Pre-installation site visits

• Sample express service

• Contractors known to Altro

• Technical support

• Leading guarantees

Hygiene, cleaning & maintenance savings

Reduce your maintenance costs with our fully integrated system. Our flooring, hygienic wall cladding and doorsets are developed to support the cleanest of environments.

A study on the Attributable Length of Stay, Mortality Risk, and Costs of Bacterial Health Care–Associated Infections in Australia found that on any given day, 1 in 10 Australian inpatients are affected by a healthcare associated infection.

(1) That’s why we care so much about hygiene. That’s why we’re so passionate about developing a hygienic system that keeps on delivering in the most demanding environments. We were the first company to innovate a complete system of compatible wall cladding and flooring.

Our fully integrated system fits together perfectly to provide a hygienic, watertight covering. No gaps or rough edges, just a smooth, uninterrupted surface – even around plug sockets, light switches and corners. As well as offering the best possible protection against bacteria and vermin, this makes cleaning easy too.

(1) Lee, Stewardson, Worth, Graves & Wozniak, 2021.

Wall Protection

Tests show that Altro Whiterock is 100% watertight, unlike tiled surfaces.

The advent of PVCu sheet wall protection provides a decorative and practical alternative to ceramic tiles. Being impervious, the product can be used practically anywhere. Showers and kitchens in particular benefit from the watertight, wipe clean surface that the system provides. Unlike a tiled surface there is no grout involved, so dirt and bacteria have nowhere to hide. Also, water can’t seep through to the substrate behind – a problem that can cause major structural damage to any building.

Altro Whiterock is an investment with long-term gains, low maintenance, less cleaning and fewer repairs for the life of the product.

Close the gaps in quality

With Altro Whiterock you also benefit from our nationwide Premier Installer network. Our installers are trained to Altro’s high standards. So you can rest assured that you’re in expert hands from start to finish.

Altro Whiterock has proven Such is the company’s confidence a 20-year product guarantee. maintained according to specification, perform for at least this long

Altro Whiterock - wall protection

Wall damage - plaster wall

proven its value time and time again in a wide range of environments. confidence in these products that Altro Whiterock comes with guarantee. Under its intended conditions for use, providing it is specification, you can confidently expect Altro Whiterock to long to your complete satisfaction.

Did you know?

Save time and money with Altro’s disruptionbusting technology that will see your floors and walls installed quickly and with minimal interuptions.

Enjoy fast installation times on products that look beautiful, with no compromise on safety, durability or cleanability.

Altro Whiterock and Altro’s adhesive-free floors can be installed over existing wall and floor finishes such as wall vinyl and tiles*.

Not only does this give you the longest lasting resilient finishes on the market, but it also significantly reduces the cost of demolition and installation, not to mention a much quicker and quieter refurbishment process.

This is especially useful in older areas where you want to improve

the aesthetics of a space without compromising the integrity of existing waterproof membranes. However, this is reliant upon the existing finishes being in sound condition.

With reduced installation time and labour costs, less need for expensive equipment hire and a reduction in maintenance budgets, Altro Whiterock and Altro’s adhesive-free products will provide you with a cost-saving and timesaving alternative.

* floor preparation is still required to smooth out the joints

Adhesive Free

With no DPM and no adhesive required, installing adhesive-free floors is completed quickly, letting everyone get back to normal with minimal disruption. With adhesive-free floors there is no waiting time. Just lay, weld and walk on the same day.

No adhesive means no tacky areas and trafficking glue through the building. The build can be planned in stages without being held up by drying times. And when the flooring has come to the end of its long and useful life, taking it up and replacing it could not be easier, plus there is no cost and time-consuming “making good” of the subfloor to worry about.

No adhesive also means there are no odours. Environments such as hospitals, residential care homes and universities have many people living and working in them; and shutting down shop or installing noisy extractor fans is not an option.

Our adhesive-free flooring is durable and can tolerate medium to heavy-duty traffic. Altro adhesivefree floors hold as effectively as an Altro floor installed using adhesive: no rucks, no movement. In fact,

this has been tested with a 900kg drilling rig with caterpillar tracks, so a patient on a trolley will be no problem at all!

Our adhesive-free floors harmonise perfectly with other Altro floors, plus Altro Whiterock meaning we can help you create the look and feel you want, throughout. And at the end of its life, adhesive-free floors can be re-used elsewhere or recycled.

Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, UK

Enhancing patient and staff wellbeing using design

To encourage serenity and calmness, healthcare facilities should be as peaceful and pleasant as possible. Biophilic design, a strategy of implementing nature into the environment, can help.

The biophilia hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and nature. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularised the hypothesis in his book, Biophilia (1984). He defines biophilia as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life.” It has since been expanded to include all forms of the natural environment, from plants and trees to rocks, sand and earth.

The benefits of biophilic design are clear. Studies have shown that exposure to nature and natural images can help with the healing process, reduce absenteeism, increase productivity and improve mood.

In healthcare this is of exceptional importance. Patients who had windows which overlooked natural sceneries were able to go home after 7.96 days, compared to the 8.71 days it took for patients who had a view of a brick wall. (2) In terms of dollars and cents, this means patient care costs could have been reduced by as much $161,000 if patients recover just one day sooner. (3)

Green building programs like Green Star offer points for projects that take advantage of these types of design elements. For more information on designing for healthcare, see our whitepaper ‘Future proof healthcare with good design’.

Altro Whiterock Digiclad

Create a soothing environment using Altro Whiterock Digiclad to display natural scenes or use it to create way-finding and provide signage throughout a hospital.

Striking images that last longer

Altro Whiterock Digiclad is created by reproducing vector artwork or high resolution photographs onto Altro Whiterock wall cladding. Hard-coat technology provides scratch resisting properties for added surface protection, making Altro Whiterock Digiclad ideal even in high traffic environments where durability is important.

With Digiclad you can be confident that, once you’ve chosen the perfect image, it will stay looking pristine for longer. No peeling, no tearing and no fading. Just vivid colours that continue to catch the eye for years after installation.

A seamless combination of hygiene and style

Altro Whiterock Digiclad doesn’t just look stunning. Its sleek surface is also extremely hygienic. Just like the proven Altro Whiterock system, there are absolutely no cracks or gaps left for bacteria to flourish in. So you can now have all the design benefits of high-resolution photography without worrying about cleanliness. Digiclad’s

wipe-clean surfaces make it perfect for areas that need to stay spotless and looking great at all times.

Adding art and other creative features

Adding a splash of creativity in otherwise sterile areas like operating theatres and examination rooms, may be just the amount of design your facility needs and your patients deserve. Giving an upbeat or soothing focal point can help patients through minor procedures and recovery. And with its fantastic cleanability and hygiene features it won’t add to your maintenance woes.

Altro Whiterock Digiclad can help create a soothing environment displaying natural scenes or it can be used to create way-finding signage throughout a hospital.

Altro Whiterock doorsets, easy to clean and made to last

Altro Whiterock hygienic doorsets are custommade to meet your needs. Altro doorsets can be designed for use on their own or as part of a complete Altro system including hygienic wall cladding and flooring and are available in colours that can complement your decor or create contrast to aid with wayfinding.

In areas where hygiene is crucial, or where doors take a lot of abuse, Altro Whiterock hygienic doorsets are the answer. Faced with PVCu, they’re not only tough and impact-deflective, but also hygienic and low maintenance.

Flexibility for any specification

The choice and flexibility do not stop at sheet material. Doorsets can also be supplied with a range of other features including a wide selection of vision panels. These are offered in traditional beaded forms or, alternatively, with flush glazing. Various door furniture and ironmongery are available and technical characteristics such as sound insulation, smoke control and radiation resistance can be specified to meet your bespoke needs.

Easy installation, consistent performance

Altro Whiterock doorsets are ready to fit when they arrive on site, and because they’re delivered in a finished state, the installation process is easy and uncomplicated. This also ensures that the range of

technical features associated with Altro Whiterock doorsets can be consistently achieved in practical applications. So when you specify technical performance from an Altro Whiterock doorset you get exactly what you need.

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing your doorset. Ease of installation and the control of smoke and radiation are of varying importance depending on the application. Because Altro Whiterock doors come as a complete set, the technical performance and integrity of your installation are assured. Doorsets are available in a wide range of standard or bespoke sizes and a variety of formats. Altro Whiterock doorsets can be customised to your specific requirements taking into consideration some of the following factors

• Acoustic control - none or 29 RwdB

• Smoke control

• Vision panels

Operating Theatres

In the demanding environment of an operating room, it is essential that surfaces are safe, hygienic and easy to clean. Maintaining an aseptic environment requires walling which is resistant to most chemicals and staining, and is totally cleanable.

Another consideration is durability; impact resistance to heavy traffic is vital as moving trolleys and other mobile equipment is a constant requirement in this environment.

Altro Whiterock hygienic wall cladding provides a decorative, practical and hygienic solution for operating rooms. Benefiting from a watertight, impervious

surface, Altro Whiterock prevents water ingress, preventing harmful bacteria growth and avoiding structural damage from excess moisture.

These panels can be configured to accommodate existing fixtures and fittings without grout, so the risk of contamination is dramatically reduced. The fully bonded system includes thermoformed corners, giving bacteria nowhere to hide and making it easy-toclean and disinfect.

An evolution of trends and expectations within healthcare has changed the requirements of today’s operating rooms, and other areas that demand superior levels of hygiene. Infection control, patient safety and efficiency are all of increasing importance in these environments.

Northern Hospital, Australia

Boney Aged Care, Australia

Ensuites

The elderly and unwell need to feel secure underfoot and can worry about the risk of slipping and possible injuries.

Floor Solutions

Altro Aquarius and Altro Pisces provides optimum lifetime sustained slip-resistance in wet and dry environments. It’s a 2mm safety floor that has been extensively tested on a variety of shoe types to ensure top performance in a host of environments – bathrooms, changing areas, hospital wards. Anywhere you can expect a wet and dry floor environment.

Altro Aquarius and Altro Pisces lacks studs which can feel uncomfortable to those, who for a variety of reasons, may be more sensitive to floor surfaces. Therefore feeling smoother than a traditional studded floor but still boasts a reassuring grip to allay the fears of slipping.

They offer significant savings on cleaning and maintenance costs over its lifecycle compared to non PUR-treated safety flooring. It can be cleaned with an ordinary domestic cleaner, allowing users to maintain clean and hygienic floors and provides excellent resistance to staining and chemicals.

Wall Solutions

Altro Whiterock is the perfect walling solution as it satisfies infection control and hygienic requirements with its easy to clean, impervious surface. Thermo-form

corners provide greater hygienic properties. No joins or gaps means there is nowhere for bacteria to grow.

Ensuite Splashbacks

Altro Whiterock Splashbacks are a clever alternative to high maintenance and unhygienic tiles. They have all the physical properties of Altro Whiterock uPVC wall protection so projects can benefit from their grout-free hygiene and low maintenance.

Altro Whiterock Splashbacks are available in a vast range of colours, offering you great flexibility to coordinate with your surroundings and create visual impact. Each colour option can be complemented by colour match sealants.

Altro Aquarius and Altro Pisces have been designed to fit together perfectly with Altro Whiterock, forming a sealed, watertight system for enhanced safety and hygiene. And because our flooring and hygienic wall cladding are designed to be compatible, when they’re installed correctly, you won’t need to worry about joined surfaces ‘parting company’. This makes them great for wet areas where you can’t compromise on safety and hygiene.

Kitchens

Our kitchen solutions offer a seamless surface around joints, fixtures and fittings, leaving nowhere for bacteria to hide.

Whether employing a full commercial kitchen or serving meals brought from a central kitchen, food preparation areas in any hospital presents their own design challenges.

AUSHFG guidelines state that flooring surfaces must meet the following requirements:

• In areas used for food preparation or assembly, floors should be non-slip, water resistant and greaseproof.

• Floor and wall construction, finishes and trims in dietary and food preparation areas, should be free of gaps/spaces that can harbour rodents and insects.

• Select floor finishes capable of maintaining slip resistance for areas such as; showers and bathrooms, kitchens, entries and similar work areas that are subject to traffic whilst wet.

Altro meets these requirements as we offer the most hygienic, safe and cost effective floor and wall finishes for kitchen areas.

With over 50 years of experience in the food and beverage sector, Altro’s floor and wall finishes have been designed to meet the rigorous demands of modern commercial kitchens.

Altro Stronghold 30, our specialist kitchen safety floor, has the highest rating for safety (PTV≥55, R12) with common contaminants such as oil, flour and fats, reducing the chance of a slip to one in a million for the lifetime of the floor.

It can withstand temperatures from -30°C to +60°C and has 10dB for comfort underfoot and sound reduction in busy kitchens.

Altro Whiterock has fire resistance to Class 0, according to BS 476 part 6. Altro Whiterock doors has fire resistance to FD60. Our solutions don’t just protect the people who work in them; it also protects the environment and those responsible for the health and safety of employees, patients and visitors.

Australian standard 4586 & Altro safety flooring

Reduce the risk!

Being responsible for the management of public and private buildings and facilities is a huge responsibility and we’re here to make it easier. Buildings must comply with health and safety regulations and provide a safe and healthy environment for all who enter a building.

Slips and trips

Slips and trips are a major cause of injury and absence from work. A slip and trip accident is recorded every 3 minutes. A recent study by the Monash University Accident Research Centre for Australian Building Codes Board found that:

• In Australia each year there are over 500 fatal falls recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics

• There are 110,000 hospital admissions resulting from falls

• The cost of death and injuries is around $1.3 billion

Why safety flooring

• Smooth flooring can be easy to clean but not slip-resistant when wet

• Ceramic safety flooring can be slip-resistant but the texture and grout can make it difficult to clean

• Altro safety flooring provides excellent slip resistance; the smooth surface makes it easier to clean, while the integral roughness of the aggregates provides slip-resistance, even with spillages

Why Altro safety flooring?

Altro slip-resistant safety flooring is a modern solution, meeting the highest standards of safety and hygiene.

• Slip-resistant, even when wet, throughout lifetime of floor

• Impervious surface, grout-free

• Coves to wall joints for rounded corners

• Incorporates Altro Easyclean Technology for improved cleanability

• Resilient surface, comfortable underfoot, contributes to reduced ambient noise levels

• Homogeneous and heterogeneous options available in high quality PVC, which have aggregates throughout the wear layer of the floor, to guarantee long-lasting performance

Going biocide-free: Good hygiene is in your hands

Tests prove the current biocides, particularly silver, are no more effective than the physical removal of microbes from walls and floors. Silver biocides can take up to two hours to completely eradicate microbes on a surface, giving a false sense of security and endangering health. Additionally, walls have minimal exposure to microbes, making it unnecessary to include biocides in these surfaces.

A good cleaning regime, which is essential in any environment where hygiene is of concern, can keep walls and floors clean without risking the spread of microbes.

In the United States, where legislation in different states has limited or even banned the use of biocides, improvements in hygiene have actually led to a decrease in healthcare acquired infections.

By improving cleaning regimes, health and hygiene can be assured without relying on biocides. Not only are current biocides in walls not necessary in critical hygiene areas; they also have a negative impact on health, hygiene and the environment.

Health:

• Research shows that the overuse of antimicrobials is contributing to antimicrobial resistance

• Research shows biocides actually help microbes become resistant to common antimicrobials

• We are at a critical point with antibiotic resistance increasing. No alternatives have been developed that can effectively counter this problem. By using biocides so frequently, there is a concern that we may be making the situation worse

Hygiene:

• Biocides used in walls, particularly silver, have not been clinically shown to be more effective than the physical removal of microbes in cleaning

• Studies show silver ion technology can take up to two hours to eradicate microbes on a surface

• Silver ion technology does not activate in

dry environments, including most healthcare environments, and is therefore ineffective

• Tests conducted by the University of Southampton into standard testing methodology of biocides have shown that high temperatures and humidity levels which are not found in indoor environments are used when biocides are shown to be effective

• Bacteria will not grow on dry walls, so biocides are unnecessary in most critical hygiene areas

• People have minimal exposure to microbes on floors and walls ; biocides should be concentrated on high risk areas (lift buttons, door handles, etc)

• A good cleaning regime that physically removes the microbes is the most effective way to ensure hygiene criteria are met, even in critical hygiene areas

Environment:

• Common biocides are associated with environmental contamination

• There is concern that common biocides such as silver may be dangerous to human health

• Silver is toxic to aquatic animals

• The overuse and reliance on silver for hygiene is bad for the environment

The solution: Altro Whiterock

• Impervious

• Joint and grout-free

• A smooth, easy to clean surface

• A 20 year product guarantee

Independent University study endorses Altro research

We have been studying the effectiveness of biocides for many years. Back in 2012 Altro decided that the inclusion of biocides could be discontinued in its resilient flooring ranges without reducing hygiene performance. For the last three years we have focused on studying the use of biocides in wall sheets.

Our test results showed biocides needed moisture to activate, and could take up to two hours to completely remove microbes. We commissioned an independent university study into biocide efficacy; the results endorsed our research. Therefore, we no longer include biocides in our hygienic wall sheets and vinyl flooring.

We are committed to providing customers with the best products for their needs. Therefore we will continue to research new biocides. If a safe, effective and environmentallyfriendly alternative to those currently available is found, we will consider including it in our products.

In the meantime, rest assured that our product solutions are designed for hygiene in a biocide-free environment. In short, Altro products still provide superior hygiene performance without the inclusion of biocides.

Altro Whiterock hygienic wall protection provides a smooth, impervious, grout-free and impact-resistant surface that makes keeping surfaces safe and hygienic easy. We believe the use of a thorough cleaning regime on impervious surfaces such as Altro Whiterock hygienic wall protection and supporting good hand hygiene will go far to help keep people safe and healthy.

Remember, good hygiene is in your hands.

Australian hospitals that have used Altro flooring & walling products:

• Alfred Hospital

• Ashford Hospital

• Austin Hospital

• Bacchus Marsh Hospital

• Bankstown Hospital

• Bellbird Private Hospital

• Birchip Hospital

• Bowral Hospital

• Braeside Hospital

• Brisbane Private Hospital

• Bunbury Hospital

• Caboolture hospital

• Calvary Hospital

• Camden Hospital

• Canterbury Hospital

• Caulfield Hospital

• Concord Hospital

• Darwin Private Hospital

• Epworth Hospital

• Fiona Stanley Hospital

• Flinders Private Hospital

• Footscray Hospital

• Frankston Hospital

• Gawler Hospital

• Gold Coast Private Hospital

• Gold Coast University Hospital

• Griffith Hospital

• Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital

• Hornsby Hospital

• Hurstville Private Hospital

• Ipswich Hospital

• Joondalup Hospital

• Kerang District Hospital

• Knox Private Hospital

• Kooweerup Hospital

• Kapunda Hospital

• Launceston General Hospital

• Lithgow Hospital

• Liverpool Hospital

• Logan Hospital

• Macksville Hospital

• Macquarie University Hospital

• Mater Hospital

• Mitcham Hospital

• Modbury Hospital

• Mona Vale Hospital

• Mount Pleasant Hospital

• Mulgrave Private Hospital

• Murray Bridge Hospital

• Narrandera Hospital

Lahey Hospital, USA

• Nepean Hospital

• New Norfolk Hospital

• North Eastern Community Hospital

• Northern Hospital

• Osborne Park Hospital

• Parkwood Private hospital

• Peninsula Private Hospital

• Perth Childrens Hospital

• Pindara Private Hospital

• Princess Alexandra Hospital

• Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital

• Queensland Children’s Hospital

• Redland Hospital

• Ringwood Hospital

• Royal Brisbane Hospital

• Royal Darwin Hospital

• Royal Melbourne Hospital

• Royal North Shore Hospital

• Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

• Sandringham Hospital

• Singleton Hospital

• Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

• St Andrews Hospital

• St George Hospital

• Sunnybank Private Hospital

• Sunshine Hospital

• Sydney Childrens Cancer Hospital

• The Bays Hospital

• The Burns Hospital

• Toowoomba Hospital

• Tanunda Hospital

• Victor Harbour Hospital

• Wagga Wagga Base Hospital

• War Memorial Hospital

• Waratah Private Hospital

• Warwick Hospital

• Wesley Hospital

• Western Hospital

• Womens & Childrens Hospital

New Zealand hospitals that have used Altro flooring & walling products:

• Auckland City Hospital

• Northland Base Hospital

• Christchurch Hospital

• Dunedin Hospital

• Middlemore Hospital

• Waikato Base Hospital

• Whakatane Hospital

• Wakefield Hospital