LaToya Foote, CHSP
Safety Technician, Healthcare Services Group
Dust and other minute particles are the inevitable result of any kind of construction activity. On most projects, dust and those other particles are more of an irritant than anything else, and workers will use property personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep the dust from getting into their eyes and lungs. When materials are somewhat more hazardous, safety professionals may recommend other protective measures.
But when the project involves a renovation of an existing hospital or other healthcare facility, that familiar dust and other particles take on a whole new level of hazard. Patients who are being treated by the facility are already sick or otherwise impaired, making them much more susceptible to some of the organisms with that dust and the other particles.
For example, there’s a very common mold called aspergilla that lives in dirt and can travel on dust particles. While healthy people are exposed to some quantity of it every day, their immune systems are strong enough to withstand it. But patients with compromised immune systems such as AIDS patients, those receiving chemotherapy, or premature infants are much more susceptible to this opportunistic organism. In a building that’s already full of sick people, the presence of aspergilla can make them much sicker. In the worst cases, it can even lead to death.
Contractors already use a lot of common sense in protecting their workers and the occupants of the buildings they work on. But demolition and excavation at healthcare sites calls for extra measures beyond the normal housekeeping and cleaning because of the dangers in releasing aspergilla and other organisms.
Not only does that extra level of care protect the patients; it also minimizes the chances that a worker may be infected by some stray germs that are lurking in some corner of the facility. Take a renovation of an area that once housed tuberculosis patients. Before the construction crew sets foot in the room, the hospital’s environmental services staff will probably have performed a thorough cleaning and decontamination. Still, it’s important to take steps to reduce the chance of contagion, because TB is airborne, and particles carrying the disease could theoretically be present in the HVAC system.
In that situation, the contractor should be expected to perform due diligence and extra cleaning, and to ensure that workers wear additional PPE. It’s also a good idea to use equipment with HEPA filters to remove the potentially bad air from the worksite and to catch the particles that are far too small for the eye to see.
Contractors on renovation projects in or adjacent to occupied spaces are accustomed to hanging visqueen or taking similar measures to keep dust and other materials from traveling to those spaces. Once again, a healthcare facility requires a higher standard. Typically, we’ll erect what are known as hard-wall barriers from gypsum board or a similar material to provide a solid defense against dust. That barrier will be further protected by one or more layers of visqueen running from the floor all the way up to the deck of the next floor (because the space above the ceiling must also be protected). Any doors in the barrier must include very strong seals and sweeps to minimize the possibility that dust will infiltrate past the barrier.
It’s also important to make sure that workers at the site don’t bring any contaminants home with them. Although tradespeople with experience in projects of this type are familiar with the right precautions, newer contractors usually require some extra attention and training in cleanup and infection control precautions.
In my experience, contractors who often work within the healthcare environment are very considerate of the facility, the medical staff, and the patients who are being served. They understand the missions of these facilities, and take their role in helping the facilities provide better care very seriously. The result is a greater awareness of what needs to be done, a better work environment for everyone involved, and a healthier population. That’s good for everyone involved.