Step Exhibitions
Yewdale K2500 Reduced-ligature Curtain Track
Nominee Information
We designed the K2500 reduced-ligature curtain track to help mental health professionals reduce the risk or ligature and reduce weapons risk. Mental health trusts utilise this product because standard anti-ligature blinds can be removed from their load-release brackets and used as a weapon.
The K2500 curtain track fits flush to the wall, preventing it from being removed and used inappropriately. Pin hex anti-tamper security screws are secured into countersunk fixing holes at 150mm intervals to provide a tight fit to the wall or ceiling.
Our patented anti-ligature gliders ensure the attached curtain cannot be used as a ligature. Under an excess load, the curtain will separate from the gliders, leaving the track and gliders securely in place. We designed the gliders with a small gap in the middle which the curtain hooks slip through when a downward force is exerted.
The K2500 is supplied with two types of anti-ligature gliders. Our low-weight gliders support up to 10kg, our heavy-duty gliders support up to 20kg, and a mix of the two gliders creates a 15kg release weight. This provides greater flexibility of use and allows mental health trusts to tailor the release weight to the environment. For instance, low-weight gliders are ideal for childcare settings. The load release gliders stay within the track making the curtain easy to reinstall if removed and doesn’t allow the service user any hooks to swallow or use on other tracks. Alternative systems on the market don’t benefit from this and there’s a risk that gliders from different tracks can be added to increase the load release weight. Our design ensures there is less plastic in the curtain when it separates from the track, making it safer for high-risk settings.
The curtain track is manufactured from high-quality aluminium ensuring it’s durable and resistant to tampering.
The K2500 is slim and looks great when installed. We designed the sloped profile to prevent the creation of a ligature point using the track. There are no large gaps between the gliders, keeping the appearance of the curtain consistent. We can produce the track in any RAL colour to suit the room it’s installed in.
All the products in the YewdaleKestrel® range go through numerous tests to ensure that they are resistant to tampering and safe for use in high-risk
settings. During the creation of our K2500 reduced-ligature curtain track, we attempted to create a ligature using items that service users have been known to access in mental health facilities. Due to the shallow depth of the groove and the tight fit of the gliders, we couldn’t create a ligature within the curtain track’s groove that could support more than 10kg.
The K2500 is well-suited to mental health settings and other environments where the risk of violence and self-harm is high. Our curtain track enables smooth operation of the curtain and the gliders do not get caught. Similar curtain tracks available today often get jammed during operation, putting the K2500 in a league of its own.
