1. Five Things IPs Need to Know about Healthcare Construction
Based on materials by Lewis Johnson, MS, CIH – Industrial Hygienist
Presented by Jerrie Hammons, RN, CIC
For I-APIC on 8/25/17

3. Thing One:
There are 4 types of tools the IP should use to insure that construction meets standards:
Standards
Education
Policy & Procedure
Audit and Reporting

4. Standards include:
Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities - Recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)
US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2003
Infection Prevention Manual for Construction & Renovation
APIC; online and published versions
Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities
The Facility Guidelines Institute; most recent version is 2014, older versions online for free
Infection Prevention and Control Issues in the Environment of Care
Joint Commission Resources
NFPA Life Safety: 101 Life Safety Code; 99 Healthcare
Version varies by state; 2012 version affects barriers
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard : Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems
2017 USP Compounding Compendium: <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding; <800> Hazardous Drugs

5. Does your facility offer any formal IP education to contractors?
Education for all!
For IPs
For the Project Manager
For the Project Supervisor
For the construction workers
Does your facility offer any formal IP education to contractors?

6. What do your Policies say about:
HEPA Filters?
Who checks them?
Results validated?
Negative air pressure?
Test it! (3x/day)
Check FGI for how to do it
> 95% efficient is ok
Containment barriers?
Really airtight?
Particle counting?
Contracts?

7. Thing Two: Buy this stuff! Negative pressure meter A good flashlight
Buy (or borrow) this stuff!
A particle counter
Use it.

8. Thing Three: it doesn’t mean there is negative pressure!!
When the plastic sucks in on your containment barriers,
it doesn’t mean there is
negative pressure!!
See FGI Guidelines for how to measure room pressure
Use the negative pressure meter you just bought

9. Thing Four: You need to build relationships and credibility
with the Project Manager, Supervisor, and workers.
Ask the right questions
Do you own or rent this HEPA filter? When was it last calibrated? When were particle counts last done?
Look at the right things – use your new flashlight!
Dust at the top or bottom of the containment barrier; condition of equipment/tools; IFUs
Build rapport
This site is really clean! May I buy you/the crew a cup of coffee as a thanks?
Pick one thing to fix at a time. Fix it. Move on.
Work with the team. Be a resource. Be grateful. Go to the monthly meetings.

10. Thing Five: IP’s best friend is the phrase, “Our policy states….”
Be clear. Be consistent. Follow policy. Don’t micromanage.
Do tracers. Log results.
IP tells construction what we want.
Construction people figure out how to do it.