Indoor air quality is important for keeping everyone in the building safe and healthy, but it is especially important for people who are extra sensitive to allergens and pathogens. People who suffer from asthma are particularly at risk when a building has poor indoor air quality levels. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that…
Managing indoor air quality is a difficult job because the variables are constantly changing and settings need to be adjusted to account for these changes. Some changes can be easily controlled, such as occupancy rate, housekeeping procedures, temperature control, and moisture barriers. One variable that is unable to be controlled and must be managed individually…
A hospital is full of various rooms and areas that have very specific and different requirements for what is needed within that area to keep patients and staff safe. Some rooms require positive air pressure, while others require negative air pressure, or have specific needs for the water, humidity levels, or temperature of the space.…
When people are admitted to a hospital, it is with the hope that they are there to become healthier, and have medical issues go away. However, for too many people their hospital stay ends up being a nightmare full of unnecessary complications and even death. This is because of Hospital Acquired Infections, which are a…
Buildings have been continuously improving in their energy efficiency, which helps to save money on operation costs and usually creates a healthier environment for occupants. However, having the building operating as a closed-off system means that any issues with the indoor air quality will just amplify over time as the same air is circled throughout…
Researchers have recently published the results of a study focused on critical room infection control in the Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, a journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The study found that surgical site infections are actually seasonal, with the number of them increasing in the summer and decreasing in the…
One of the fastest growing Joint Commission citations has to do with Environment of Care issues, with over 46% of hospitals being cited during their 2013 surveys. The year before, only 34% of hospitals were found to be non-compliant. The citations were under code EC.02.05.01 with a focus specifically on the ventilation system being unable…
You may think your building is operating efficiently, and that there aren’t any major issues wrong with it, but having commercial building commissioning performed will show you issues with your building and how it is wasting energy efficiency. An HVAC Commissioning is the process that ensures a building’s environmental systems are designed, installed, functionally tested,…
Hospital patients are more susceptible to infection due to their weakened immune systems, and patients undergoing surgery are even more at risk to becoming infected because of the openings in their skin and the stress healing puts on a body. This is why it is so important for the hospital staff to ensure cleanliness and…
People tend to think that while they are indoors they are breathing clean air. After all, pollution is found outside, and indoor air is filtered through the HVAC system, right? Wrong. This is why indoor air quality management is so essential to have in your facility. Research published in Science of the Total Environment…