Clearing the Air in Hospitals…
Air and Water Hygiene Services for Hospitals: Part One
Our teams of expert technicians often work out of hours to deliver services without interrupting the routine of the day, but that’s rarely an option in hospitals. When there’s never a time when the building isn’t actively used by patients and staff, as well as accommodating family and friends during visiting hours, just how do we provide these vital services?
Fitting Ventilation Ductwork Cleaning Around Complex Routines
Sometimes, there is no out of hours. The care of patients never stops, so we have to be creative about how we carry out our specialist cleaning tasks. In some areas, such as outpatient facilities and operating theatres, there is more downtime, so we can use our usual routine of cleaning ductwork during evenings and overnight.
However, we still need to be flexible, factor in the possibility of emergency surgeries and private appointments for which facilities may be used at weekends or in expanded hours. This is why, in hospital contracts, we work very closely indeed with facilities managers and often liaise with patient-focused teams to make sure that our services are delivered with a minimum of disruption.
Classification of Ventilation Ductwork
In accordance with BESA specification TR19®Air, which our experts helped to draft, ductwork systems should be classified as high, medium or low, according to their location and usage. This is particularly important in hospitals.
Operating theatres and research laboratories will be classified as high, as they will often include HEPA filters to help guarantee a very high indoor air quality and form part of essential infection control measures. Ventilation ductwork systems in most other parts of the hospital – such as wards, consulting rooms, administrative offices, and retail and catering outlets – will be classified as medium, helping to provide good indoor air quality and sufficient air changes for a healthy indoor atmosphere. Less frequented areas such as boiler rooms will be classified as low.