to prevent sparrow nesting in ambulance
bays of a major hospital.
Healthcare facilities such as hospitals, urgent care centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, and specialist medical centers are often mid-rise or low-rise buildings which provide sufficient parking and well-maintained landscaping/grounds. Healthcare facilities constantly have a high volume of people, which produce large amounts of food waste (food) and garbage (nesting material).
Hospitals and healthcare facilities can be conducive nesting sites for birds: they commonly provide sources of shelter, water and food. Nuisance birds – such as Canada geese, gulls, pigeons, and sparrows – are some of the species that affect hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Common bird problem areas at hospitals and healthcare facilities include but are not limited to:
- Turf grass and landscaping
- Green roofs
- Rooftops
- Building signage
- Building eaves and awnings
- Parking lots and garages
- Assets (e.g., HVAC)
The Damage Birds Cause
Property & Asset Damage
Large green spaces, retention ponds, and elevated surfaces are attractive to multiple bird species. The accumulation of their droppings and nesting materials can damage turf grass and landscaping, roof membranes, and HVAC units. Waste and debris can also clog roof drains and increase associated cleaning and maintenance and repair costs. Birds of varying sizes can also damage windows either unintentionally (collision) or intentionally (pecking).
Facility Health Risks
Bird droppings have been documented to harbor over 60 dangerous bacteria and diseases, including salmonella. The accumulation of disease-harboring waste near HVAC units can negatively impact building air quality.
The continual presence of nuisance birds and the accumulation of their droppings and nesting material also presents aesthetic challenges that may call the facility’s cleanliness into question.
Human Health & Safety Risks
Bird droppings create unsanitary conditions and can increase the risk of slip hazards. In extreme circumstances, employees and contractors have even refused to work in such conditions until long-term solutions were realized. Furthermore, during their respective nesting seasons, nuisance birds can become aggressive, endangering employees, contractors and visitors.
Healthcare Facility Bird Management Solutions
Hospitals and healthcare facilities can manage their nuisance bird issues by leveraging bird management solutions, including a trained canine harassment program, nest and egg management, handheld lasers, window decals, and structural deterrents. The most appropriate solution will be property-specific and should be based upon the specific bird species involved and the behaviors the birds exhibit.
Strategic installation of metal angle deterrent and spikes where the birds had been perching removed access which resolved the mess.
