"Construction in Controlled Environments"
Medical Construction & Design (12/08) Vol. 4, No. 6, P. 28; Craft, Steve; Reid, Clarence

Construction in a controlled environment such as a hospital is a tricky business, and caution must be taken to ensure that the safety of patients, visitors, and staff is not compromised, say Steve Craft and Clarence Reid of Erland Construction in Burlington, Massachusetts. "That's why it is so crucial to hire an experienced contractor who knows how to avoid the potential land mines that could wreak havoc when constructing in a high-stakes facility," they note. "An experienced construction manager will know the questions to ask and the activities to avoid to steer clear of inherent disasters." Craft and Reid urge the performance of an infection control risk assessment prior to beginning any construction in a healthcare facility. Measures to prevent infection include gowning workers and vacuuming them off before they depart the construction area, keeping the doors to patient rooms closed during construction, and only permitting authorized staff into work areas. The authors cite HEPA filters as important to the prevention of spreading airborne pathogens, while a mold prevention program also should be devised during pre-construction. Construction should not compromise the air pressurization in hospital rooms, and Craft and Reid suggest negatively pressurizing construction areas to establish a lower pressure than surrounding spaces as one possible solution. Vibration and noise control via insulation also is critical.
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