Compliance
EC.02.05.01 - The hospital manages risks associated with its utility systems
Information and mitigation tools and resources for relocatable power taps (RPTs), the most common cause for citations related to inappropriate electrical issues.
Mitigation tools and resources for emergency lighting in mission critical areas, which is vital and has been a repeated finding by the Joint Commission.
Mitigation tools and resources for labeling utility system controls and link them to shutdown instructions.
Two principles for air-conditioning operating rooms are that air should be supplied at the ceiling, in a unidirectional or laminar air pattern, and that higher air change rates result in lower bacterial counts within the room. However, these principles are applied along a wide spectrum, and…
Certain rooms within a health care building should be positively or negatively pressurized with respect to surrounding areas.
Positive vs Negative
Operating room and protective isolation = Positive
Airborne isolation = Negative
When the total CFM from supply air (1&2) > than the return air (3), the room is under positive pressure and the air will flow out of the room.
When the CFM from the return air (3) >…
A building’s HVAC system is designed to perform several tasks: filter, cool, heat, humidify, dehumidify, pressurize, and/or exhaust. Each of these tasks affects indoor air quality. For example, if incoming air is not properly filtered, excessive dust from the outdoors is drawn into the building.…
Understand the importance of air filtration in hospitals and the use of hospital air purifiers to maintain clean and safe environments. Learn more.
Inappropriate Room PressurizationA room may be pressurized so that it is positive with respect to adjacent areas for several reasons. It may be done to protect patients in operating rooms and protective environment rooms from airborne pathogens that may be present in adjacent areas. It may be done…