The present invention relates to hand rails and more particularly to safety hand rails which may be termed ‘anti-ligature hand rails’ in that they are intended to reduce the risk of being used as a ligature attachment point.

Such hand rails are, in use, attached to a wall or another suitable support surface and are often used in institutions for people who need care or supervision, and whose mental or physical capacity may be reduced or impaired. In particular, such hand rails are designed to reduce the risk of a ligature being attachable or supportable such that they cannot be used as an anchor for attempted suicide or other self-harm whilst still performing their primary function as a hand rail or grab rail.

According to the present invention there is provided an elongate hand rail comprising: i. an attachment section for securing the hand rail to a support surface, the attachment section having a rear surface on one side for contacting said support surface, the rear surface being preferably planar; ii. an elongate grip section which is spaced from the attachment section on the other side thereof; and iii. a continuous linking section which connects the grip section to the attachment section such that an elongate, continuous, open-topped channel is provided between the grip section and the attachment section; wherein the elongate grip section extends along a first axis which is substantially straight and the channel has a base which extends along a second axis which is substantially straight; wherein the channel is open at one end and closed at the other end by means of a closure section which is contiguous with the attachment section, linking section and the grip section; wherein the linking section at the open end flares outwardly from the grip section to the attachment section in the direction of the first axis; wherein the closure section at the closed end flares outwardly from the grip section to the attachment section in the direction of the first axis and flares outwardly and upwardly from the grip section to the attachment section in a direction away from the direction of the first axis; and wherein the grip section at the open end of the channel tapers outwardly and downwardly towards the base of the channel, the outward flares and tapers of the sections effecting an anti-ligature property.

Preferably, an uppermost surface of the grip section remote from the base of the channel curves downwardly to meet the base of the channel at the open end thereof.

In many preferred arrangements the attachment section is substantially rectangular having a first pair of parallel edges and a second pair of parallel edges perpendicular to the first pair of parallel edges. Usually, the first parallel edges are longer than the second parallel edges, and the first and second axes extend in the general direction of the first parallel edges and are parallel to the planar rear surface of the attachment section, the rear surface being planar.

It is a preferred feature that the second axis is not parallel to the first parallel edges but is angled relative thereto such that when the attachment section is secured to the support surface with the first parallel edges horizontal then the base of the channel slopes downwardly from the closed end of the channel to the open end. Ideally, the angle of the second axis to the first parallel edges when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rear surface of the attachment section is in the range 1 to 10 degrees, preferably 1 degree. With most embodiments the first axis of the grip section is parallel to the second axis.

Often the attachment section, the grip section, the linking section and the closure section of the hand rail are a solid, one-piece construction, and usually the one-piece construction is a moulded or a machined product. With some embodiments, the moulded product is formed from a polyester resin, such as isophthalic polyester resin, with a filler, such as aluminium trihydrate, and either (i) an optional whitening material, such as titanium dioxide pigment, or (ii) non- organic pigments for coloured hand rails. Ideally, the hand rail surfaces which are exposed after securement to a support structure have a polished finish.

In some constructions, the attachment section comprises an elongate plate portion incorporating a number of holes for receiving means for said securement of the hand rail to a support structure. The holes may incorporate anti-vibration bushes and/or the rear surface of the attachment section may incorporate a resilient gasket, preferably of natural or synthetic rubber.

It is a preferred feature that the elongate grip section is part-circular in lateral cross-section and connects to the linking section at a waisted section, the linking section then widening in transverse cross-section to where it connects to the attachment section, all sections and connections between sections being smooth and contoured such that there are no sharply angled edges. Another preferred feature is that the closure section is angled upwardly to the attachment section at an angle of between 15 and 25 degrees, preferably 19 degrees, relative to an axis perpendicular to the rear surface, and is angled to the attachment section in the direction of the first axis at an angle of between 30 and 40 degrees, preferably 35 degrees, relative to said axis perpendicular to the rear surface.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail. The description makes reference to the following diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of an elongate hand rail according to the present invention from an open end;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the hand rail of figure 1 from a closed end;

Figure 3 is a front view of the hand rail of figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a view from above the hand rail of figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a lengthwise cross-section through the hand rail taken on line V-V of figure 4;

Figure 6 is an end view of the hand rail in the direction X of figure 3;

Figure 7 is a transverse cross-section through the hand rail taken on line VII-VII of figure 3;

Figures 8a to 8d are front views of the hand rail of figure 1 showing how the hand rail resists attachment of a ligature in four principal directions;

Figure 9 is a view similar to figure 1 of an alternative embodiment; and

Figure 10 is a view similar to figure 7 of the alternative embodiment of figure 9. In the figures there is shown an elongate hand rail 10 which is adapted to be secured to a support surface 11 (see figure 6) which may be in the form of a wall or other suitable surface.

The hand rail 10 has an attachment section 20 by which the hand rail 10 is secured to the support surface 11. In this embodiment the attachment section 20 is generally plate-like and has a planar rear surface 21 and a number of through holes 22 for receiving screws or bolts (not shown). The holes 22 in the illustrated embodiment are provided with optional anti-vibration bushes 23. The rear surface 21 is also provided with an optional resilient gasket 24 for contacting the support surface 11 , the gasket being made from natural or synthetic rubber material. In the figures the gasket 24 is shown with an exaggerated thickness and in figure 6 in particular the gasket will in reality be compressed under the forces securing the hand rail 10 to the support surface 11. It will be readily understood that the number and positioning of the holes 22 is a matter of design choice depending on the properties of the hand rail such as weight, length. Indeed, other methods of securement to the support surface are possible.

In the figures the attachment section 20 is shown as being generally rectangular when viewed from the front, such that it has a first pair of parallel edges 25 and a second pair of parallel edges 26 perpendicular thereto. Other shapes are of course possible for the attachment section 20, but a rectangular or square format has been found particularly suitable both aesthetically and practically because, for example, it fits better with standard tiling formats. The edges 25, 26 are tapered inwardly away from the rear surface 21, as shown in figure 7 for example, so as to encourage a ligature to slide off the edges when any appropriate load is applied to the ligature in any direction.

The hand rail 10 also has an elongate grip section 30 which is spaced from the front side of the attachment section 20. The elongate grip section 30 extends in generally straight line in the direction of a first axis A. Ideally, the grip section 30 is generally circular in cross-section, as shown best in figure 7, although other cross-sections are possible. The grip section 30 is connected to the attachment section 20 by a continuous linking section 40 such that an elongate, continuous, open-topped channel 41 is provided between the grip section 30 and the attachment section 20. This channel 41 , in use, receives the fingers of a user so that the grip section 30 can be gripped and so the dimensions must be such that fingers can be inserted into the channel. The channel 41 has a base 42 which extends in a generally straight line along a second axis B and which is continuous along the length of the channel 41.

The front-facing surface of the linking section 40 extends generally downwards from the grip section 30 towards a lower area of the attachment section 20. The linking section 40 connects to the grip section 30 by means of a somewhat waisted section 43 and then extends downwardly in a shallow curve 44 before contouring into the attachment section 20 at area 45. The upper surface of the linking section 40 forms the channel surface and arcs downwardly 46 from the waisted section 43 to the base 42 of the channel before arcing upwardly to contour into the attachment section 20 at area 47. The transverse cross-section of the grip section 30 is generally circular in its upper areas until it contours into the waisted section 43. In this illustrated embodiment the circular part of the grip section 30 extends for about 245 degrees, although the angular extent of the circular part could be more or less in other designs.

The hand rail also has a closure section 50 at one end of the channel 41 , the closure section 50 being in the form of an end wall which closes the channel 41 at the closed end. The end wall connects the attachment section 20, the grip section 30 and the linking section 40. Ideally the closure section is formed as one piece with the attachment section 20, the grip section 30 and the linking section 40 and this may be by means of a single solid moulding or a unitary solid block which has been machined. Other forming processes are, however, possible.

The closure section 50 has an upper surface 51 which angles upwardly from the grip portion 30 to the attachment section 20, a side surface 52 which is angled outwardly (that is in the general direction of axis A) from the grip portion 30/linking section 40 to the attachment section 20, and a lower surface 53 which flares downwardly to the attachment section 20 following the contours of the lower part of the linking section 40. The angle/flared surfaces are clearly shown in figures 3, 4 and 6 for example. The angle of the upper surface is preferably between 15 and 25 degrees relative to an axis perpendicular to the rear surface 21 and 19 degrees has been found to be particularly suitable. The angle of the side surface is preferably between 30 and 40 degrees relative to said axis perpendicular to the rear surface 21 and 35 degrees has been found to be particularly suitable.

The hand rail 10 is formed in such a way that all sections and connections between sections are smooth and contoured/rounded so that there are no sharply angled edges. Additionally, at least some of the surfaces, primarily all surfaces which are exposed after securement to the support surface, have a polished finish in order to minimise friction with other articles such as a ligature.

In all embodiments the channel 41 , including the base 42 of the channel

41 is uninterrupted along its entire length. In the illustrated embodiment the base

42 which extends along the straight second axis B is generally parallel with the plane of the rear surface 21 of the attachment section 21 , but is angled slightly downwardly from the closure section 50 to the open end of the channel 41 . When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rear surface 21 , as shown most clearly in figure 5, the second axis B is at an angle Q relative to a line parallel with the upper and lower edges 25 of the attachment portion 20. This angled base 42 ensures that any fluids in the channel 41 drain out of the open end of the channel 41. This is particularly good from the point of view of hygiene when the hand rails 10 are used in a washroom or bathroom environment because it minimises/eliminates pooling of water or other liquids. The angle Q may be in the range from 1 to 10 degrees but 1 or 2 degrees is usually sufficient.

The first axis A of the grip portion 30 may be parallel to the upper the lower edges 25 of the attachment portion 20 or, as illustrated, may be parallel to the second axis of the channel base 41 .

In the embodiment shown, the grip portion 30 remote from the closure section 50 tapers outwardly (that is in the general direction of axis A) and downwardly at 60 towards the attachment section 20 and towards the base 42 of the channel as shown in figure 3 so as to meet the extreme open end of the channel 41 . It is apparent that the linking section 40 also tapers outwardly (again in the general direction of axis A) towards the attachment section 20 at the open end of the channel 41 such that the hand rail has a generally angled open end when viewed from above as in figure 4. In figures 8a to 8d there are shown front views of the hand rail 10 together with a line 70 which represents a cord/wire/rope being used as a ligature. The four views show the force on the ligature (as represented by the arrows) acting downwardly, upwardly, to the left and to the right. In all directions, the flared/angled/tapered surfaces are effective to prevent, or at least reduce the risk of, the ligature anchoring on the hand rail because the ligature simply slides along the flared/angled/tapered surfaces and off the hand rail.

Figures 9 and 10 show an exemplary embodiment of a hand rail in which the securing method comprises a suitable number of bolts 80 (four in this particular example) which each have a head end 81 embedded in the material of the attachment section. This embodiment is particularly suited to use in situations where there is access to the rear side of the wall to enable securing nuts 82 to be threaded onto the bolts 80. The use of the bolts 80 results in a presented surface of the hand rail being free of any holes 22.

It will be appreciated that the particular embodiments shown are examples and design modifications can be made whilst remaining within the scope of the attached claims. The hand rail can be made from any suitable material, but it has been found that the hand rail is well-suited to being moulded or machined from a suitable material, and particularly well-suited to being moulded or machined from a polyester resin, such as isophthalic resin, with a filler, such as aluminium trihydrate. In white versions a suitable whitening material can be added, such as titanium dioxide pigment, and in coloured versions a colouring material can be added, such as non-organic pigments.