HOSPITAL SECURITY ISSUES
1. Patient Protection
2. Violent or Non-Violent Patients
3. Forensic Hospital Wards
4. Juvenile Hospital Wards
5. Fresh Air or Full HVAC
6. Keying
7. Local Fire Code Regulations
8. Porch Enclosures
9. Changing Hospital Environments
10. Special Building Conditions
11. Steel or Aluminum Screen Frames
12. Finishing Options
1. Patient Protection
Detention screens are used in hospitals to insure both patient safety and patient detention. Prior to the 1940's, steel bars over windows were the standard means of confining psychiatric patients. However, since that time detention screens have been used almost exclusively. These screens offer a home-like atmosphere as well as fresh air and light.
Detention screens are designed to meet different security levels depending on the strength of the frames and their type of hardware. By choosing the proper security level, health care institutions can satisfy their specific needs at the least possible cost. The following list describes the security levels usually specified for different hospital situations:
Security Level 6 - Medium Security
Mounted on the interior of the building:
Non-violent adult psychiatric rooms
Non-violent adult common rooms
Hospital pharmacies
Smoking lounges
Security Level 7 - Maximum Security
Mounted on the interior of the building:
Violent adult psychiatric rooms
Violent drug and alcohol detox centers
Isolation rooms
Juvenile psychiatric
Forensic
2. Violent or Non-Violent Patients
Violent patients require a different level of detention than non-violent patients. Non-violent patients are generally not destructive and the detention screen insures that the patient cannot have access to the window.
On the other hand, violent patients can do significant damage to both themselves and the building. The Security Level 7 screens are designed and tested for these conditions:
Continual hitting or banging on the wire cloth for hours or even days at a time.
Body blows to the wire cloth.
Full speed dives into the cloth.
Security Level 7 detention screens are constructed so the wire cloth is held inside the frame on coil springs. The construction is similar to a trampoline. This is the only type of screen that holds up to continual punishment over time. While these screens are about 15% more expensive than Security Level 6 screens, they pay for themselves over time with lower maintenance.
3. Forensic Hospital Wards
Forensic wards are a special case of potentially violent patients. Except in rare circumstances, these wards use only Security Level 7 detention screens. Further, because the consequence of escape by a forensic patient is considered serious, heavy security wire cloth is normally specified for these wards. The following wire cloth options are used in detention screens.
Standard: Wire cloth woven 12 mesh to the inch from .028 inch
diameter Type 304 stainless steel and double crimped. This wire has
nominal strength of 600 pounds per linear inch. Used with both Security Levels 6 and 7.
Heavy: Wire cloth woven 10 mesh to the inch from .047 inch diameter Type 304 stainless steel and double crimped. This wire has a nominal strength of 1600 pounds per linear inch. Used with both Security Levels 6 and 7.
4. Juvenile Hospital Wards
In many cases juveniles can be as violent and destructive as the worst adult patients can. The hospital needs to evaluate the potential problems of juvenile wards based on their past history and determine whether an "adult" standard should be specified or a "forensic" standard is needed.
5. Fresh Air or Full HVAC
In institutions, which rely on fresh air and open windows during mild weather, the detention screens will function very efficiently. On the other hand, some institutions have moved to fully air conditioned environments. In these situations Kane can provide an interior frame which holds security glazing or Lexan which meets the Security Level 7 standard.
6. Keying
Detention screens are normally provided with a bitt key lock, which is similar to the existing door locks in the psychiatric section of the hospital. Large bitt keys are used to operate these locks because it has been found by experience that it is much more difficult for patients to jam these locks. Further, if they do become jammed, it is relatively easy to remove foreign objects from these locks because the keyholes are large.
Kane detention screens come with a standard three-tumbler bitt key lock. A four-tumbler lock is also available for forensic wards and pharmacy storage.
7. Local Fire Code Regulations
Since detention screens are very difficult to get through, even with a fire ax, it is important to provide easy access for firemen. There are two options.
1. The screens can be keyed on both sides of the frame so firemen can use their key to open the screen from the exterior.
2. An emergency release "Lift Quick™" can be installed on the outside of the screen so firemen can open the screen without a key. This option is usually chosen for floors above the first floor.
8. Porch Enclosures
Conversion of open porches to enclosed porches using security screens has been very popular. This gives patients a controlled outdoor environment in mild weather and can reduce smoke levels in the building where patients are allowed to smoke.
9. Changing Hospital Environments
Detention screens provide an easy way to retrofit a standard hospital ward to become a psychiatric ward or a drug/alcohol detox center. All Kane screens are custom made for each window opening. This simplifies the conversion of facilities to higher security levels.
10. Special Building Conditions
Special installation conditions can be encountered when retrofitting detention screens to existing hospitals. Over the last 50 years Kane has seen them all.
For example:
1. Screens can be mounted in the window reveal or surface mounted.
2. Head fillers can be added so screens do not hit low hanging lights when they are opened.
3. Fillers or split screens can also be used eliminate problems with dropped ceilings.
4. Sill fillers can be used to avoid interference by space heaters.
5. Multiple screens can be mulled together to cover large window openings.
6. Special screen shapes can be fabricated to fill arched window or
non-rectangular shapes.
11. Steel or Aluminum Screen Frames
All Kane screens can be specified with either steel, stainless steel or aluminum frames. In general, any of these materials will function well in the hospital environment. However, it is important to remember that steel has about three times the tensile strength of aluminum and therefore it is recommended for forensic and juvenile wards.
12. Finishing Options
See Specs/Details...
The standard finish on both steel and aluminum screens is an industrial grade thermoplastic polyester powder coat paint finish. Kane offers this finish in five standard colors, but can provide custom colors at an additional charge.
Aluminum frames can be anodized to match the window frames in either a clear or dark duranodic color. This option adds significant cost and in most cases institutions find that a powder coat finish works just as well.
Stainless steel frames are normally given a grained texture with a sanding belt and finished with a clear coating.
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