GB2515072A

GB2515072A - Flooring system

Info

Publication number: GB2515072A
Application number: GB1310517.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Glanville
Original assignee: Dycem Ltd
Current assignee: Dycem Ltd
Priority date: 2013-06-13
Filing date: 2013-06-13
Publication date: 2014-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2033-06-13
Also published as: GB201310517D0; GB2515072B

Abstract

A method of installing a flooring system at the entrance/exit of a controlled environment comprising; providing a secondary floor covering 5 over the existing floor covering, the secondary floor covering extending across the floor and up the walls, sealing the secondary floor covering to the walls, removing a section of the secondary floor covering from the floor, inlaying a contamination control floor covering 7 into the secondary floor covering, sealing the edges of the control floor covering, providing an edging strip (Fig 5) along the edge of the secondary floor covering that extends across the floor and up the walls and sealing the edging strip to the secondary floor covering. Preferably the floor is for a hospital or other clean room, hygienic environment. The edging strip preferably has no phthalates in it and has a silver nitrate antimicrobial agent.

Description

Flooring System

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a flooring system, in particular to a secondary flooring system lbr use in areas where contamination control is important.

Background to the Invention

Maintaining a conirolled environment is essential in many academic, industrial and medical settings, and controlling contamination entering that environment is very important. For example, many hospitals, factories, fbod preparation areas, spray-paint booths and laboratories utilise a controlled environment, which may be referred to as a cleanroom.. Precautions are taken such as subjecting cleanroom staff to strict clothing regulations and using a gowning room where the staff can change clothes under "controlled" conditions so as to prevent any particulates from entering am the outside environment. Certain areas in a cleanroom may have more stringent measures than others, with packaging areas, corridors, gowning rooms and transfer hatches being incorporated to maintain strict contamination control measures.

In hospitals, cleanroom precautions can be used to try to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases spreading. In industry, particularly in the pharmaceutical, electronics, aerospace, catering, automotive, biomedical, IT, nuclear, optical and medical devices industries, it is often essential to ensure that the products are free am contamination. Contamination of a controlled environment poses a threat to product proccsscs, thc conscqucnccs of which arc lowcr product yiclds, raiscd costs and decreased profits.

Contaminants are particles that enter an environment where they may potentially have a negative effect. There are many types of contaminants and they can have a wide variety of effects on different environments. Contaminants can be bacteria or other organisms that are potentially harmful to their surroundings. More familiar contaminants can bc things such as dust and dirt.

Contaminants can be carried on any surface entering a controlled environment, or in the air. Particles can be suspended in the air for hours where they undergo rapid proliferation, contaminating the surrounding environment. Once there is no movement and turbulence stops, airborne contaminants fall. If they fall onto an unprotected floor they may rise again and be redistributed into the air as a result of the vortices created by the movement of personnel and wheeled traffic.

Studies have shown that over 80% of contamination enters a controlled environment through entrances and exits, mostly at or near floor level. As a result of this, attempts have been made to reduce the contamination entering a controlled environment by using particular floor coverings.

It is known to use particular floor coverings in entry and exit areas to controlled environments to attract, collect and retain foot and wheel borne contaminants, thereby reducing the contamination entering the controlled environment.

One approach has been to use disposable peel-off rnats. These are mats which have many layers with an adhesive material, which creates a sticky surface. Once the adhesive has dried out, or is covered by contaminants, the uppermost layer is peeled off to reveal a clean sticky surface. This often happens several times a day. The disposable mats are often relatively small in area. Disposable mats have had some success in reducing the level of contamination, but do not reduce it as much as is desired. One major disadvantage of disposable mats is the high level of waste, which usually cannot be recycled and ends up in landfill.

Non-disposable contamination control mats are also used. They typically comprise a polymeric material, and cover a large area of floor in the exits and entrances of the controlled environment. Such mats are available from Dycem, under the trade names LabMat' and ProtectaMat'. As a non-permanent solution such mats can be simply placed on the floor, and moved to wherever they are needed. Alternatively they can be fixcd to the existing flooring, for example using adhcsive. In this way they are not movable under normal use, but could be removed if desired without damaging the existing flooring.

The use of polymeric contamination control mats has been very successful in vastly reducing the level of contaminants entering a controfled environment. They clearly have a major environmental advantage over disposable mats, as waste sheets are not generated. When the mat is getting to be too dirty to be effective, it can simply be cleaned.

However, a disadvantage of using any kind of mat, regardless of whether or not it is fixed to the existing floor, is that, because the mat is not flush with and sealed to the existing flooring, water and other cleaning fluids can pool in the gaps between the mat and the existing floor. The pooled stagnant water then acts as a breeding ground for bacteria. Clearly, this is highly undesirable at the entry or exit point of a controlled environment.

Permanent polymeric contamination control floor coverings are also known, which are inlaid into existing flooring. Dycem's ClcanZonc' and WorkZonc' flooring systems are examples of this. By inlaying the polymeric contamination control floor covering it can be flush with, and scaled to, the existing flooring. This means that there will not be any gaps in which water could pool, as is the case where floor coverings are simply placed over existing floors. However, the inlay method involves destroying the existing flooring, so the polymeric contamination control floor covering can not be simply removed which needing a whole new floor. Since the existing flooring is, itself, often a relatively expensive material, this is often undesirable.

The present invention aims to provide a flooring system for use in areas where contamination control is important, which addresses the problems associated with known systems.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of installing a flooring system in an entry or exit area of a controlled environment, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a secondary floor covering over an existing floor covering, where the secondary floor covering extends across the floor and up the walls of the entry or exit area; b) sealing the secondary floor covering to the walls; c) removing a section of the secondary floor covering from the floor; d) inlaying a contamination control floor covering into the secondary floor covering; e) sealing the edges of the contamination control floor covering to the secondary floor covering; 1) providing an edging strip along the frill length of at least one of the edges of the secondary floor covering that extends over the floor and up the walls; and g) sealing the edging strip to the secondary floor covering.

The present invention provides a new method of installing flooring that has many advantages over known methods. In the present invention, the contamination control floor covering is inlaid into the secondary floor covering. This means it can be inlaid flush with the secondary flooring. By ensuring that the contamination control flooring is sealed to the secondary flooring, it is possible to avoid pooling of cleaning water and other fluids, as there are no gaps between the contamination control floor covering and the secondary floor covering. Tn addition, the secondary floor covering extends up the walls of the entry or exit areas and is scaled to the walls, as well as to an edging strip. This means that the whole area of secondary flooring is sealed, so it is possible to avoid pooling of water, and the potential bacterial contamination that is associated with this.

Previous systems utilising an inlay involved inlaying a contamination control floor covering into existing flooring. This has the effect of destroying the existing flooring.

In the event that the contamination control flooring needs to be removed for any reason, for example if the controlled environment is moved, this means that a whole new flooring system needs to be laid. However, the method of installing flooring according to the present invention involves providing a secondary floor covering over an existing floor covering. It is the secondary floor covering that is partially destroyed in order to inlay the contamination control floor covering. In this way, the existing floor covering can be unaffected by the flooring system installed on top of it. If, therefore, the contamination control flooring system needs to be moved for any reason, the secondary floor covering and edging can simply be removed from the existing floor covering, leaving it intact.

A flooring system according to the present invention has been found to reduce contamination entcring the controHed environment by 80% to 99.8%.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an existing flooring system; Figure 2 shows a close up of the existing flooring system of figure 1; Figure 3 shows a flooring system instafled according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a close up of the preferred embodiment of the flooring system installed according to the present invention as in figure 3; and Figure 5 shows an edging strip which can be used in a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description

The present invention is concerned with a method of installing a flooring system in an entry or exit area of a controlled environment. A controlled environment is any space where precautions have been taken to minimise the contamination entering that space.

As discussed in the background section, maintaining a controlled environment is essential in many academic, industrial and medical settings. Controlled environments are used in the pharmaceutical, electronics, aerospace, catering, automotive, biomedical, IT, nuclear, optical and medical device industries, among many others.

Where products are being manufactured, particularly high value products, such as in the electronics, aerospace and automobile industries, or very sensitive products such as in the pharmaceutical, catering, optical and medical device industries, it is very important to keep contamination of the controlled environment below an acceptable level.

As set out in the background section, by contaminants we mean any particles that enter an environment where they may potentially have a negative effect. There any many types of contaminants, including organisms such as bacteria, or non living organisms such as dust, dirt, sand and soil. It is known that a large proportion, around 80% of contamination enters a controfled environment at or near the floor level through entrance and exits. Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of installing a flooring system in an exit or entry area of the controlled environment.

By exit or entry area, we mean an area which is adjacent to an opening into the controlled environment. The entry or exit area is typically a hallway adjacent to a doorway into the controlled environment.

All exit and entry areas to a controlled environment will, of course, have an existing floor covering. This could just be the basic foundations such as a flat concrete floor.

However, often in a hospital or industrial setting where a controlled environment is located, the existing flooring will include a floor covering over concrete foundations.

This is often a vinyl floor covering, which may extend some distance up the walls.

The purpose of flooring extending up the walls, is to avoid a sharp right angle between the floor and the wall, which can encourage pooling of liquids, such as cleaning material. Having the floor covering extending up the wall, makes cleaning of the walls and floor easier. In addition, providing floor covering on the walls protects the walls from damage, for example from wheeled trolleys, wheelchairs or vehicles. This kind of system is often provided in hospital corridors.

Figures 1 and 2 show a typical existing floor covering. A flexible vinyl floor covering 2 extends over the basic concrete floor. The walls I are also covered to a particular height by the vinyl floor covering 3. The vinyl floor covering does not extend right into the corner between the wall and the floor to create a 90° angle, but instead is curved at the corner, as shown in figures 1 and 2, to minimise the pooling of cleaning fluids. In a hospital the floor covering often extends up the walls a certain distance.

There is no standard distance but it can, for example, be around 10 to 50 cm, or around 20 to 30 cm.

One of the advantages of the method of the present invention, is that it can be used to install a flooring system over any existing floor covering. For example, the existing floor covering could be tiles, carpet, vinyl, lino, wooden floorboards or concrete.

A secondary floor covering is provided in the present invention. By secondary floor covering we mean a floor covering that is provided over the existing floor covering.

The secondary floor covering extends across the floor and up the walls of the entry or exit area. As discussed above, normally the entry or exit area is a corridor. In this situation, the secondary floor covering extends across the entire width of the floor between the walls, and some distance up the walls of the entry or exit area. The secondary floor covering can be made of any material which is sufficiently flexible to bend up the walls, and which can be relatively easily cut into to remove a section for the inlay. Preferably the secondary floor covering is a vinyl material. Vinyl materials with particular propcrtics can bc selected as desired, for example it may be desired for thc vinyl to have antislip or anti static propcrties, or a particular surfacc hardncss.

Suitable vinyl materials are available from Tarkett, Altro or Forbo.

The secondary floor covering typically extends some way up the walls of the entry or cxit areas, for example around 10 to 50cm.

Figure 3 shows the secondary floor covering 4 extending across the floor of an entry or exit area. The secondary flooring 5 also extends up the walls I of an entry or exit area. Figure 4 shows in more detail how the secondary flooring 4, 5, extends over the existing flooring 2, 3, across the floor and up the walls of the entry of exit area of a controlled environment. It is preferable that the secondary flooring does not form a right angle between the floor and the wall, but instead has a curved profile, as shown in figures 3 and 4. This helps to ensure that water cannot pool at the junction between the wall and the floor, thereby reducing the possibility of bacterial or other organism multiplying in stagnant fluid.

Coving can optionally be used, where the coving is placed into the 900 angle between the floor and the wall. The secondary flooring can then be placed over the coving.

This can help to ensure a regular uniform curve shape for the secondary floor covering between the floor and the wall. It is, however, not essential to use coving.

S

The secondary floor covering is sealed at its upper edges to the wall. This sealing can be carried out before or after a contamination control floor covering has been inlaid into the secondary floor covering.

The method steps (a) to (g) in the claims can be carried out in any order, and do not need to be carried out sequentially in the order they are set out in the claim.

The secondary floor covering can be sealed to the walls in any way that avoids gaps between the secondary floor covering and the wall which could allow cleaning fluids or other materials to get between the secondary floor covering and wall. For example, it can simply be glued to the wall using adhesive. Advantageously, a capping system can be used. A capping system is shown in figures 3 and 4. The cap 6 is made of any suitable plastic material, and is attached to the wall using adhesive. The secondary floor covering is placed underneath the cap, and is usually adhered with tape.

In the present invention, a contamination control floor covering is inlayed into the secondary floor covering. This means that a section of the secondary floor covering must be removed. This is removed from the floor area, rather than the wall areas.

This is most simply done by cutting through the secondary floor covering, taking care not to damage the existing floor covering, and removing the whole depth of the secondary floor covering. Alternatively, it would be possible to cut through a portion of the depth of thc secondary floor covering and remove a portion of the depth from a section of the secondary floor covering on the floor. The contamination control floor covering is preferably the same depth as the secondary floor covering, so that when the whole thickness of the secondary floor covering is removed, and the contamination control floor covering is placed into the hole in the secondary floor covering, the contamination floor covering is flush with the secondary floor covering.

By inlaying the contamination floor covering into the secondary floor covering, we mean that the contamination control floor covering is placed into a hole though the frill or partial depth of the secondary floor covering, and is surrounded by the secondary floor covering along all the edges. Generally the contamination control floor covering is rectangular, for simplicity of inlaying.

By contamination control floor covering we mean any floor covering that is designed to attract, coHeet and retain foot and wheel bourn contaminants. Various different contamination control floor coverings are known. They are often a polymeric material. Suitable floor coverings are described in W02006!1 14599, 0B1399191, GB1475366, GB2025319, and GB2144139. Suitable contamination control floor coverings are available from Dycem, under the "CleanZone" and "WorkZone" trade names. The contamination controlled flooring (7) is shown in figures 3 and 4. The contamination control flooring is often a different colour from the secondary floor covering, and may have words or designs printed on it.

The edges of the contamination control floor covering are sealed to the secondary floor covering. This is usually done by hot welding.

The dimensions of the secondary floor covering are, of course, dictated by the width of the entry or exit area. In the direction of travel through the entry or exit area, it is prefened that the secondary floor covering extends 6-20m. This is, on average, at least, six footsteps, or thrcc fill rotations of a whccl. Usually contamination control floor covering inlayed in step d) covers between 50 and 80% of the surface area of the secondary floor covering provided in step a), preferably whcrcin the polymeric contamination control floor covering inlayed in step d) covers between 60 and 70% of the surface area of the secondary floor covering provided in step a).

An edging strip is provided along the fill length of at least one of the edges of the secondary floor covering that extends over the floor and up the walls. The edging strip is designed to be installed as a transition between the secondary floor covering and the existing floor covering. The edging strip is not shown in figures 1 to 4, but is shown in figure 5. The edging strip can be any known material, an is often an extruded polymeric material. The edging strip is often provided with graduated profile, to provide a smooth transition between the secondary floor covering and the existing floor covering. The edging strip is sealed to the secondary floor covering, usually by hot welding, or by adhesive. In this way, the method of installing the flooring system ensure that all junction points are sealed, and the pooling of cleaning fluid, which could potentially allow bacteria to propagate, is minimised.

Up to now, not much attention has been paid to the composition of edging strips.

Plastic matcrials such as PVC typically contain phthalatcs as softcncrs, to cnsurc thc plastic is cxtrudablc and flcxiblc. Howcvcr, incrcasing attcntion is bcing paid to thc health implications of certain chemicals in the environment, including certain phthalates. "REACH" is European Regulation (No 1907/2006) concerning chemicals and their safe use. It aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment through a system of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. As a European Regulation REACH applies directly in all 27 Member States of the European Union. It also applies to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as member countries of the European Economic Area.

The REACH regulation has controlled the use of certain phthalates, which are subject to health concerns. In particular, at the present date the regulation concerns: bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate; bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate; di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate; dibutyl phthalate; 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid; dipentylester; n-pentyl-isopcntylphthalate; di-n-pcntyl phthalatc; diisopcntylphthalatc; bcnzyl butyl phthalatc; diisobutyl phthalate; diisononyl phthalate; diisodecyl phthalate; and di-n-octyl phthalatc. Thc phthalates in this group arc hereinafter rcfcrred to as controlled phthalates.

The flooring industry has been relatively slow to come under regulatory control.

Contamination control flooring systems have been the subject of particular considcration, as thcy pcrform a vcry important job of protccting a controlled environment from contamination.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the secondary floor covering, and the contamination control floor covcring do not contain controlled phthalatcs.

However, very little attention has been paid to edging strips, even when they are used as a transition system between a contamination controlled zone and the regular flooring. To date it is believed that all PVC edging strips have contained regulated phthalatcs.

The edging strip of the present invention is distinguished from existing edging strips in that it does not contain any controlled phthalates. The edging strip used in a preferred embodiment of the present invention is advantageous as it complies with the regulations controlling the use of phthalates. As there are health concerns associated with the controlled phthalates, this edging strip is advantageous as it is free from these health concerns.

It has been possible to produce a PVC edging strip without any of the controlled phthalates by using carefully selected plasticisers in the manufacturing process. For example, Material reference DVF422/283 NATI4I supplied by Doeflex Compounding Ltd. Chemical testing of materials can determine whether or not they contain controlled phthalates. For the present invention testing has been carried out by Hall Analytical and certificated as not containing controlled phthalates against HAL 13-145.

It is expected that in the future, further chemicals may be banned, or become controllcd substanccs, through rcgulation such as REACH. It is prcfcrrcd that the edging strip does not contain any phthalates.

In addition to being free from controlled phthalates, the edging strip preferably contains an antimicrobial agent, such as silver nitrate.

In order to provide an anti-slip function, the edging strip preferably has along its length at least three groves, preferably at least twenty grooves, most preferably 30 to grooves. The profile of the edging strip is preferably graduated towards one edge, with the grooves bring provided on the graduation section.

The edging strip of the present invention can be made of two materials, wherein a strip ofpla.stic is coextruded with the main body of the edging strip. This is advantageous because the strip of plastic can be provided in a different colour flx,m the edging strip, or can have words written on it, which can be pcrsonalised to the situation. This can draw attention to the fact that the flooring is changing, and particular attention may be nccdcd. Alternatively, where thc edging is used at thc edgc of a contamination control flooring system, it can provide a visual warning at the entry or exit area to the controlled environment. In a preferred embodiment, the strip of plastic is red and the edging strip is black.

Figure 5 shows an edging strip 8 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The edging strip 8 is graduated from one edge, 9, towards the opposite edge, 10. The edging strip is provided with many grooves, 11, which provide an anti-slip feature. This edging strip is made thm extnided PVC. It contains silver nitrate.

It does not contain any controlled phthalates.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of installing a flooring system in an entry or exit area of a controlled environment, the method comprising the steps of a) providing a secondary floor covering over an existing floor covering, where the secondary floor covering extends across the floor and up the walls of the entry or exit area; b) sealing the secondary floor covering to the walls; e) removing a section of the secondary floor covering from the floor; d) inlaying a contamination control floor covering into the secondary floor covenng; e) sealing the edges of the contamination control floor covering to the secondary floor covering; 0 providing an edging strip along the full length of at least one of the edges of the secondary floor covering that extends over the floor and up the walls; and g) sealing the edging strip to the secondary floor covering.
2. A method according to claim 2, wherein the edging strip is made from polyvinyl chloride, and does not comprise bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, dipentylester, n-pentyl-isopenty!phthalate, di-n-pentyl phthalate, diisopentylphthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate, or di-n-octyl phthalate.
3. A method according to claim I or 2, wherein the edging strip comprises silver nitrate.
4. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the edging strip preferably has along its length at least three groves, preferably at least twenty grooves, most preferably 30 to 50 grooves.
5. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the contamination control floor covering inlayed in step d) covers between 50 and 80% of the surface area of the secondary floor covering provided in step a), preferably wherein the polymeric contamination control floor covering inlayed in step d) covers between 60 and 70% of the surface area of the secondary floor covering provided in step a).
6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the secondary floor covering is vinyl.
7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the controlled environment is in a hospital.
8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the controlled environment is used in the pharmaceutical, electronics, aerospace, catering, automotive, biomedical, IT, optical or medical device industry.
9. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the edging strip is made from polyvinyl chloride, and does not comprise phthalates.