3 Questions to Answer Before Implementing ASHRAE 241

Brian Baker, Matt Fragala and Bryan Connors | September 25, 2023

The COVID pandemic demonstrated the essential role that ventilation and filtration can play in airborne pathogen mitigation and ensuring healthy indoor environments. Guidance on the appropriate levels of ventilation and filtration were generally established in the early days of the pandemic and were based on flushing rates required to reduce indoor airborne particle levels. In...

Solving the Unexpected Problem of the New USP 797 Sporicidal Disinfectant Requirement

Erin Higgins | August 18, 2023

After many delays, the revised USP General Chapter 797 providing guidance on sterile compounding will go into effect on November 1, 2023. While pharmacies have been aware of the update and preparing to meet it for some time now, one change is proving to have unexpectedly significant complications that must be addressed by cross-hospital teams....

When Proven Solutions Don’t Work

Bryan Connors | August 4, 2023

Preventing Infection From Unexpected Sources Happens With Clear Communication Healthcare facilities have made huge strides in improving infection prevention and control, yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that, on any given day, one in 31 hospital patients may acquire a healthcare-associated infection (HAI). No matter how effectively an organization plans to mitigate...

4 Ways 24/7 Construction Monitoring Makes Healthcare Facilities Safer

Bryan Connors | July 24, 2023

Construction presents significant infection risks to patients within any healthcare facility. Virtually every construction project generates dust that can carry fungal spores into patient areas, if construction areas and air from those areas are not appropriately isolated. This dust can prove deadly to sensitive immunocompromised populations. While healthcare construction professionals have become adept at the...

What Massachusetts Labs Need to Know About State Fire Code Update

Steven Lee | June 26, 2023

Effective December 9, 2022, Massachusetts amended the state Comprehensive Fire Safety Code 527 CMR 1.00 (Fire Safety Code) to adopt the 2021 edition of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1 and added Massachusetts-specific amendments. Chapter 26 of the Fire Safety Code requires authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs – Fire Department) to obtain additional documentation from existing...

Safe Removal of Mercury-Containing Flooring in School Gyms

Will Wade | June 12, 2023

Products such as thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs, and some electrical switches have long been known as potential sources of mercury. In recent years another mercury-containing product – polyurethane flooring – has garnered public attention and concern. Some polyurethane or rubber-like floorings manufactured from 1960 to 1980 contained mercuric acetate. These floors are most often...

Five Key Points You Need to Know About Ethylene Oxide (EtO)

Ankur Singhal and Matt Fragala | May 3, 2023

Interest in potential hazards of EtO has increased in recent years in large part because of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) reassessment of EtO’s toxicity and its April 2023 proposals for handling and emissions of EtO. The aim of this post is to provide producers, users, regulators, communities, and others with information that contributes...

How to Maximize the Value of Your Joint Commission Mock Surveys

Kristin Pitocco | April 25, 2023

A mock survey can be an invaluable preparation tool for healthcare facility and environmental health and safety (EH&S) managers as they prepare for Joint Commission triennial accreditation surveys or other certification reviews. By allowing an expert with a fresh set of eyes to audit your facility, it becomes much easier to identify and close any...

Prepare for Updated Standards by Improving Your Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Management Plan

David MacIntosh and Matt Fragala | April 13, 2023

Ethylene oxide (EtO) plays a critical role in manufacturing and medical device sterilization. However, this antimicrobial pesticide is also a carcinogenic agent that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be more dangerous over long-term exposures than was recognized in the past. As a result, EPA recently proposed revisions to its National Emission Standards...

Sustainability in Healthcare Industry Update: New Developments and Your Hospital

Andy Machado, David MacIntosh and David Shore | April 12, 2023

Several sustainability developments important for hospitals and other healthcare organizations occurred in March: March 9, 2023, The White House and Department of Health and Human Services (WH/HHS) announced reopening of the Health Sector Climate Pledge to new signatories on an ongoing basis after its successful launch last year. March 20, 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on...