School of Engineering, Cardiff University Queen's Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK.
Science Division, Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Harpur Hill, Derbyshire, Buxton, SK17 9JN, UK.
Osteoporos Int. 2020 Dec;31(12):2383-2394. doi: 10.1007/s00198-020-05520-y. Epub 2020 Jul 9.
Shock-absorbing flooring is one potential solution to prevent fall-related injuries. No standards exist to characterize shock-absorbing healthcare flooring. This study explores two mechanical tests for impact force reduction and horizontal force required to move wheeled objects. An appropriately designed rubber underlay can reduce peak impact by 25% compared with 1% with standard vinyl.
Severe falls often occur in hospitals and care homes. Shock-absorbing flooring is one potential solution to prevent fall-related injuries; however, no standards exist for characterizing flooring as an injury prevention measure. Shock-absorbing flooring use in high-risk settings may influence both patients (injury-saving potential) and staff (manoeuvring equipment). We aimed to explore two tests to characterize floors, to determine shock absorbency and horizontal pulling force required to move wheeled objects.
Mechanical testing was performed according to the Canadian Standards Association Z325 Hip Protectors document. This test was developed for hip protectors but is applicable to compliant surfaces that form part of the floor. Tests were performed on commercially available floor materials (suitable for care settings) to assess the force required to initiate movement of a wheeled object across the floor. We explored the relationships between horizontal force required to pull wheeled objects, impact force, floor thickness, and core material.
Considerable differences were identified between floor samples in their ability to reduce the peak impact force (range 0.7-25%). A peak force reduction of up to 25% can be achieved with a specially designed rubber underlay. Horizontal pulling force increased with floor thickness but was lower for rubber floors. There was no direct relationship between impact attenuation and horizontal pulling force. Whilst thickness and core material explain some variations (66.5% for wheel movement; 82.3% for impact), other unmeasured factors clearly influence floor performance.
These results can inform the development of flooring and the establishment of standards needed to underpin practice, research, and development in this field.
减震地板是预防跌倒相关伤害的一种潜在解决方案。目前还没有用于描述减震医疗保健地板的标准。本研究探讨了两种用于降低冲击力和移动轮式物体所需水平力的机械测试。与标准乙烯基相比，设计合理的橡胶衬垫可将峰值冲击力降低 25%。
严重跌倒经常发生在医院和护理院。减震地板是预防跌倒相关伤害的一种潜在解决方案；然而，目前还没有用于将地板描述为预防伤害措施的标准。在高风险环境中使用减震地板可能会影响患者（节省受伤的潜力）和工作人员（操纵设备）。我们旨在探索两种用于描述地板的测试，以确定减震能力和移动轮式物体所需的水平拉力。
根据加拿大标准协会 Z325 臀部保护器文件进行机械测试。该测试是为臀部保护器开发的，但适用于构成地板一部分的符合要求的表面。对市售的地板材料（适用于护理环境）进行测试，以评估推动轮式物体在地板上移动所需的力。我们探讨了移动轮式物体所需的水平力、冲击力量、地板厚度和核心材料之间的关系。
地板样品在降低峰值冲击力方面的能力存在明显差异（范围为 0.7-25%）。专门设计的橡胶衬垫可将峰值力降低高达 25%。水平拉力随地板厚度增加而增加，但橡胶地板的水平拉力较低。冲击衰减与水平拉力之间没有直接关系。虽然厚度和核心材料解释了一些变化（轮动为 66.5%；冲击为 82.3%），但其他未测量的因素显然会影响地板性能。
这些结果可以为地板的开发以及该领域实践、研究和开发所需的标准的制定提供信息。
