When it comes to medical applications, contractors feel extra pressure to complete overhead support systems with lightning fast speed while delivering finished installations that meet demanding specifications. Revenue losses from idle space can range from tens of thousands of dollars for an intensive care unit to over one million dollars per day for an operating room. Then there are the hidden costs associated with poor designs that range from voided OEM warranties to increased patient liability. For all of these reasons, leading medical centers nationwide are turning to Unistrut Service Company for help with their designs and installations. Our patient lift installations for nationally known hospital networks are case in point.
On a repetitive basis, doctors, imaging technicians, and physical therapists lift and reposition patients that are heavier than ever. These repetitive motions increase the worker’s risk for musculoskeletal disorders and jeopardize patient safety. Hospitals and clinics combat these risks with mechanical patient lifts. There are a number of outstanding mechanical patient lifts on the market, but all of these systems have one common denominator: an overhead support structure. Regardless of the manufacturer, you’ll need a support structure that is strong enough to ensure safe operation while blending seamlessly with existing MEP above the ceiling. The picture below illustrates the complex nature of ceiling areas found in healthcare settings.
Designing and installing ceiling support structures for unfinished space often yields the widest range of lift placement options. That said, during “clean” installs, we may still contend with plumbing, electrical conduit, and HVAC ducts that interfere with our work. For fully functional rooms, the expertise of our engineers and installers yields work-around strategies for un-moveable obstructions. One of the advantages of designing the patient lift support structure with Unistrut is our ability to work around obstructions without compromising system strength. What’s more, the modular nature of the Unistrut framing system takes the worry and stress out of adapting to unanticipated obstructions discovered during installation.
The pictures below show an installation for The Cleveland Clinic, but we have also done similar work for University Hospitals, UPMC, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and VA hospitals just to name a few.
Installing patient lifts is an important first step toward safeguarding worker and patient safety. That said, one of the most important components of the system is the part we seldom see—the overhead support structure. Unistrut Service Company has successfully designed and installed over 1,000 patient lifts, and we are familiar with major manufacturers such as Liko, Argo, and Guldmann just to name a few. If you have questions about patient lifts or overhead support structures for medical applications, contact Unistrut Service Company and put our years of design and installation experience to work for you today!