Indoor Air Quality for Health Care Facilities

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. If supplied air is not conditioned or heated satisfactorily, occupants may experience thermal discomfort. If supplied air is not dehumidified appropriately, excessive relative humidity levels may promote microbial growth. If patient isolation rooms are not properly pressurized, unwanted airborne transmis­sion of pathogenic bacteria may occur. If airborne chemicals are not properly exhausted from laboratories, these chemicals may migrate into nonlaboratory spaces. These are just a few examples of how the performance of the HVAC system can affect indoor air quality.

To effectively address mechanical system concerns, health care engineers should be aware of the corresponding indoor air qual­ity (IAQ) issues. A chapter in the Mechanical Systems Handbook for Health Care Facilities provides basic information regarding several key indoor air quality issues for the health care engineer. Several common mechanical systems concepts (such as building pressurization, moisture, filtration, and local exhaust) are reviewed from an IAQ perspective. By studying the chapter, the health care engineer should better understand how mechanical systems can affect indoor air quality.

Excerpt from: Mechanical Systems Handbook for Health Care Facilities
J. Robbin Barrick, PE, and Ronald G. Holdaway, PE
ASHE copyright 2014. Available at the ASHE Store.

 

Related Resources

Resources
ASHE Core Competency Framework
ASHE’s Health Care Facilities Core Competency Framework charts out key skills of health care facilities management, and offers education, resources…
Resources
Compliance: Core Competency Framework
Ensure compliance with associated regulatory requirements in a way that ensures patient care and safety is the foremost priority.
Book
Understanding Health Care Compliance Handbook
Meet regulatory requirements while maximizing operational efficiency and quality of care in your health care facilities.
Compliance Tools
Special Locking Arrangements Tool
This tool helps determine the appropriate special locking arrangement to permit compliant egress in the event of a fire alarm activation.
Standards/Guidelines
Supplemental Infection Prevention and Control Considerations
This supplement focuses on the roles of two leaders—the Facility Engineer and the Infection Preventionist—and how they can collaborate in all…
Monograph
Physical Environment Provisions of USP <797> “Pharmaceutical Compounding – Sterile Preparations” Third Edition
Review the certification process and ongoing requirements for the physical environment provisions of compounded sterile preparations (CSPs) in USP .