7 Design Aspects for Healthy Built-Environment: Health & Safety
Created By RISC | 4 years ago
Last modified date : 2 years ago
Everyone needs comfort and peace of mind, free from anxiety, illness, and stress. That's why we need to choose materials for health and safety in our homes.
Materials often emit toxins, especially indoors. Daily contact can hurt our eyes, noses, skin, and lungs. In the long term, we can face a higher risk of cancer or respiratory diseases.
Design and materials should also enhance safety and reduce accidents like slips or falls. Slipping is the second most common cause of fatal accidents and injuries for toddlers and adults of 65 or older.
To tackle these issues, design for health and safety can follow these precautions:
1. Non-toxic and low-emission materials
The most common indoor chemical issue is volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They are ingredients and solvents in building materials like glue, grout, coatings, composite wood, decorations, carpets, and furniture. That's why we need to be aware of high-VOC materials by checking certificates of VOC content and emissions. Many programs now test and guarantee building materials and furniture, such as UL Greenguard and the Thai Green Label by Thailand Environment Institute (TEI).
2. Design for safety
To prevent and reduce accidents, choose slip-resistant material appropriate to each area’s specific risks. Floor tiles can be selected by their R rating from Germany's DIN 51130 Slip Test. The higher the number, the better the slip resistance. In general multipurpose or dry areas, floors should be at least R9. Wet areas in bathrooms should be at least R11.
Choosing materials and design for health and safety is important for comfort and peace of mind for residents, helping enhance well-being for all life.
In the next post, we’ll explain more about living with nature and its physical and mental benefits. Stay tuned!
Information credit:
- US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
- WHO, National Center for Health Statistics