GUIDING LIGHT
The mental wellbeing of an individual is often overlooked, especially in work environments. The Safety Sensecaping project addresses work-related violence and the mental wellbeing of individuals, specifically in the health care industry. The mental wellbeing of an individual can be affected by poor working environments. Corridors are often poorly lit and are known for being incident-prone. Corridors make up 28% of hospital space, as it leads to wards, waiting rooms and entry and exit points (Carthey, 2008). How might we supplement the existing audio system for incidents through the use of visuals, to allow a safe space for health care workers while connecting them to the outside environment? Handrails are often present in hospital corridors as it provides support or act as a guiding tool for individuals to prevent injurious falls. These are generally used by patients. An opportunity lies in using the handrail to provide physical and emotional support through visuals, such as lighting. Combining biophilic design; a person’s inherent need to connect to nature, and interactive design, health care workers mental wellbeing could be improved. The handrails main function would be to alert health care workers of the different code alarms and to direct them to the location of the incident. The handrail would improve the efficacy of the code system by guiding health workers quicker to the incident. It would also provide natural elements, such as an indication of the time of day and weather, to positively re-sensitize health care workers to the external environment. The guiding light handrail would be a visual supplement in hospital corridors, to provide both emotional and physical support.
