Major healthcare facilities are evolving consistently, especially to cope with the requirements of the aging population and ever-evolving technology.

Healthcare facilities undergoing construction or expansion faces several unique challenges including dust and dirt contamination of sterile environments. Any major or minor expansion in busy hospitals or other health facilities presents different risks of contamination.  This is where the ICRA protocols and procedures can play a vital role.

An ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment) is a set of protocols and procedures that foresees and prioritizes potential health hazards to formulate a time-specific strategic development plan.

The advantages of choosing an ICRA certified professional are many, especially, when it comes to addressing mold infestation in hospitals or health clinics.

Controlling infection spread while considering patient safety

Dust and debris from construction work often go uncontrolled. While this could be negligible in regular construction worksites, it poses several challenges in healthcare construction sites.

Did you know that uncontrolled dust from construction in health facilities can second the spreading of infection to sanitized parts in the facility? This may turn out to be a major cause for concerns like Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) or nosocomial. A health hazard like mold should be handled more sensitively as mold spores are known to spread unseen and quickly.

An ICRA certified professional has the expertise can provide potential recommendations on patient placement and relocation. An ICRA certified mold remediation process starts by formulating an infection control risk assessment plan and reviews it throughout the remediation process.

Worksite considerations that prevent spread at all costs

When it comes to ensuring safety at worksites within the health facility, the following factors are taken into considerations:

• Barrier standards
• Dust control and cleaning equipment
• Patient protective apparel
• Additional consideration including maintaining a negative pressure within the worksite
• Usage of air filters
• Addition of extra barrier layers, for example, enclosing a rigid barrier with a plastic barrier
• Training and notifying hospital staff and visitors
• Additional protection in case of any demolition is carried out

Worker isolation considerations

The ICRA stresses the importance of isolating workers from patients, visitors, or hospital staff throughout the remediation process. The following considerations are enforced to minimize the interaction of workers with patients and visitors.

• Specific entry and exit routes for workers to carry materials and debris, workers are at times designated with specific hallways and elevators.
• Restroom allocation: as with the most facilities, the hospital may also assign the workers with specific bathrooms. Similar could be the case with vending machines, workers might not be provided access to the machines that are reserved for patients, staff, and visitors.
• Break areas: the hospital or the remediation service agrees with the designated break areas and cafeteria while considering minimum or zero interaction of workers with their counterparts.

Immunization considerations

In addition to taking appropriate measures to isolate their workers, an ICRA certified mold remediation service ensures that all their workers have proper immunization and are regularly monitored for health concerns.

Depending on the mold type and the environment that is under consideration, the workers could immunize themselves against the following.

• Influenza vaccination
• Tetanus and diphtheria vaccination
• Measles, rubella (MMR) vaccination
• Hepatitis B vaccination

Any illness or infection contracted by the worker is immediately reported and specific actions are taken to trace, track, and contain any potential outbreaks.

It goes without saying that mold remediation in health facilities requires specific procedures and protocols, especially, when dealing with a facility that houses the elderly. An ICRA certified professional is second to none when it comes to ensuring smooth mold remediation and efficient recovery.