This document discusses the design challenges for fixtures in maximum security prisons. Fixtures must be durable to withstand abuse and prevent harm. Anti-ligature devices that have smooth edges and surfaces have proven effective in reducing self-harm. Stainless steel is often used due to its durability and inability to chip or crack. Key design focuses include being anti-ligature to prevent strangling and having no exposed parts or sharp edges that could be used as weapons. Advanced fixtures have no visible taps and are activated by sensors to further prevent harm or dismantling. School fixtures also aim to be anti-ligature and prevent bullying by having rounded edges and surfaces.

1. This week I’d like to talk about the challenges of designing fixtures for maximum security prisons. It’s
a strange subject, but one which requires merit.
High security institutions have special needs for their fixtures; for example a regular ceramic sink just
won’t stand up to the abuse, any hard object can crack the ceramic, that can lead to chips breaking
off that can ever be used as weapons. This happens more times than you may care to think of.
People who are willing to self harm are usually very creative and have often used things to harm or
maim themselves and other you wouldn’t even think possible. Anti ligature devices are often
moulded, with smooth or no edges and have proved to be extremely effective in reducing self
harming in the past.
Types of materials:
The material of choice for high secure environments is stainless steel; a lot of the same properties
that make it ideal for schools and hospitals apply to secure environments as well. It doesn’t chip; it’s
hard as steel and it’s stainless.
A key design requirement is anti ligature, which is a politically correct way to say “non-strangling.”
On a typical sink there are all sorts of places you could tie a shoelace, around the tap handle or
around the exposed plumbing. Now compare that with an anti ligature model; with the anchors
through the wall the Franklin has no way to tie anything around the smooth taps, nor is there any
exposed plumbing.
Going one step further in this institutional sink called The Louisville; it has no visible taps, the water
flow is activated by a button or a sensor on the face above the sink, there is no edges that can be
used to cut, it’s completely built with no exposed plumbing, so it can’t be dismantled and it’s made of
1 and a half millimetre stainless steel with reinforcing brackets so it can literally take a beating.
Anti Ligature For High Security Institutions:
Like high security environments, even regular schools need to keep students safe. Dean told us that
fixtures in schools can’t have any sharp edges or corners, every corner must have a radius. Bullying
can be a concern in schools so a circular sink design allows students to keep a potential bully inside
rather than turning their back as they would for a wall-mounted sink.
That’s it from us for this week. Hope you’ve learned something. If you have any questions or
comments please feel free to leave them below.
This article first appeared on stepbystepdirections.com