As you put the finishing touches on your behavioral healthcare facility, or prepare to re-open after a remodel, the thought of furniture likely crosses your mind. You’re looking for something durable, slow to give into the effects of wear and tear and of course something that is totally safe. What are your options?
The safest furniture option for psychiatric hospitals and correctional facilities is anti-ligature furniture, which presents no opportunities to cause harm to oneself or to others. Aside from design, construction is regarded as one of the most important aspects of anti-ligature furniture. To be totally safe, and considered anti-ligature, the furniture must not have any tie-down points, be impenetrable and inflexible.
These features can be accurately achieved through the process of monolithic construction.
Monolithic refers to the process of manufacturing or constructing something out of one singular piece of material, without joints or seams. Monolithic can also refer to the large size, uniformity and often impenetrability of an object.
Anti-ligature prison furniture is typically manufactured using a monolithic process, out of highly durable, fiber-reinforced polymers.
In the case of anti-ligature furniture, the manufacturing process is just as important as the materials the furniture is manufactured from. Together, the monolithic construction process, coupled with carefully chosen materials creates a piece of furniture unlike any other.
The furniture in behavioral healthcare or correctional facility settings undergo intensive and challenging everyday use. Unfortunately, in these settings even something as mundane as a bedsheet or piece of furniture can be used to cause harm.
For this very reason, monolithic manufacturing is often chosen for producing anti-ligature furniture.
Furniture made from soft materials, that is flexible or easily penetrated can cause potential dangers, such as the concealment of contraband. The same is true even for durable, hard furniture that has joints or seams. These areas can be picked at and eventually opened, which can also lead to the dangers of concealing contraband.
Seamless, monolithic pieces of furniture do not have any tie down points, sharp corners or anything jutting out. Although we may not think about it in our day to day lives, with our own furniture at home, these characteristics can actually be quiet dangerous. Monolithic construction allows for a uniform, smooth piece of furniture which does not present any of these dangers.
Monolithic anti-ligature furniture prevents against the concealment of contraband, keeping everyone who enters the facility safer.
Additionally, the singular-piece furniture produced as a result of monolithic construction, is much easier to clean and maintain. There are no nooks or crannies, pockets or any other hard to reach areas, making maintenance a breeze!
For all facilities facing challenging environments, anti-ligature furniture is the best option for keeping residents and staff safe. Part of what makes this furniture so safe is the manufacturing process behind it. By using monolithic manufacturing methods, anti-ligature furniture eliminates the potential for concealing contraband, reduces the potential for self-harm or harm inflicted on others as well as maintaining a clean and easy to maintain surface.
Max-Secure has been providing facilities across North America with fail-safe anti-ligature furniture for decades. With an industry expertise that is hard to find anywhere else, our furniture has been thoughtfully designed and precisely manufactured to bring your facility a long-lasting, trustworthy solution.
Max-Secure offers monolithic, anti-ligature furniture for every room in your facility! Whether you want to increase the number of residents with our double bunk beds, or provide a place for residents to connect with our games table, we have a fail-safe option!