A case study for proactive health care construction management to prevent indoor air pollution

Construction in healthcare facilities is a major risk for airborne agents infecting immune compromised patients. Standard air quality analysis has included air sampling for airborne fungi. These culture data require weeks for transport, incubation and identification. During a demolition and construction of a new medical facility an infection control risk assessment(ICRA) determined pre-construction precautions and surveillance methods. The surveillance utilized real time air particle analysis and culture methods to determine relevant indicators of potential hazards. The results show little correlation of air analysis and patient infection outcome due to variable conditions. Proactive measures such as filtration verification, entrance door maintenance, pedestrian dirt control, street cleaning and patient education are valid for minimizing exposure. Employee education is an essential component and lack of such a measure may have created an unusual infection situation during the demolition phase of the construction project.