Keeping people safe should be a top priority no matter where you are. With potential dangers virtually everywhere, any number of situations could take a turn for the worse, leading to an endless range of negative consequences. In mental health and correctional facilities, though, creating safe spaces becomes particularly crucial. In settings like those, there's a high risk of both self-harm and violence against others. In fact, those risks are up to five times higher than they are among the general population. In some cases, the rates of suicide and violence are even greater than that.
In light of those risks, it's important to take measures to reduce the possible dangers. Several hazards come into play here, but a significant portion of deaths and injuries in these settings come from hanging and strangulation. With that being the case, reducing ligature dangers in mental health and correctional facilities is essential. Certain steps, like buying an anti-ligature chair for a patient or inmate's personal space, can go a long way toward improving safety, but that's only one piece of the puzzle. Consider some of the most effective measures for keeping people safe in your facility.
Understanding the Environmental Dangers
For one, understanding all the potential environmental dangers in a facility is essential. In this context, that means taking a thorough look around to determine all the features that could provide an opportunity for ligature-related incidents. Most people don't realize just how many environmental factors could increase those risks. Everything from door handles and light fixtures to plumbing fixtures and armrests on certain types of chairs can give at-risk people a way to harm themselves or others through hanging, strangulation, and bondage.
Keep in mind that this aspect goes well beyond private spaces in a facility. It extends to common areas, those where therapy sessions are held, medical exam rooms, and restrooms. Every portion of a facility could be a potential setting for violence and self-harm. Because of that, it's important to identify any and all possible sources of danger.
Evaluating Patient and Inmate Risks
Fully understanding the levels of risks for individual patients or inmates is also vital. Those vary by person, and being aware of the risks entails delving into a person's current mental state as well as his or her past. Knowing each person's risk factors, medical and mental health history, and other important aspects is the key to evaluating the likelihood of self-harm or violence against others. That, in turn, can give those in charge insight into the appropriate ways to mitigate those dangers both through treatment and through eliminating as many external risks and opportunities as possible.
Eliminating the Dangers
Taking steps to eliminate any potential hazards and opportunities is likewise crucial. Ligature-resistant furniture can be invaluable here, but that's only one factor to consider. Installing ligature-resistant doors is also part of the process. Don't overlook all the hardware and fixtures in a facility, either. Door hinges, shower heads, faucets, grab bars, and countless other types of hardware can be potential ligature points. As such, installing hidden and tamper-resistant hardware is recommended.
Creating the Safest Possible Environment
Suicide attempts and violence against others is more common in mental health and correctional facilities. In settings like these, minimizing the risks is essential. That involves understanding the dangers that exist in a facility and the risks that come from within each person who spends time there. Reports show that more than half of the suicide attempts and acts of violence in these facilities involve hanging and strangulation, so eliminating potential ligature points is one of the keys to creating a safer environment.