An established medical facility in Key West, Florida recently turned to the Florida carpenters union to get the latest information about infection control during construction projects in healthcare facilities.
The UBC offers intense training for carpenters to work efficiently and properly under the Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) - a system in place to ensure construction work is done with every strategy to protect patients, staff and other construction workers when building or renovation work is done in occupied facilities.
Part of the UBC ICRA strategy is an 8-hour Awareness Course for healthcare facility employees and crews of contractors or subcontractors who perform work on healthcare job sites. The 8-hour Course focuses on proper procedures and communications necessary when working in an occupied healthcare facility. It also addresses team functions and responsibilities, air pressure effects on contaminants, controlling contaminants, different types of barriers and mold remediation.
The Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, FL, offers full-service acute care, including 24-hour emergency, X-ray and laboratory services. They, like all facilities across the country, must follow strict parameters to protect patients and staff when their buildings undergo construction work.
Recently, select members of their management staff worked with the Florida Carpenters’ ICRA Representative Joe Steven, ICRA Instructor Jason Hearn, and South Florida Area Manager Frank D’Angelo to complete the UBC’s 8-hour ICRA awareness workshop.
About 100,000 people die each year across the USA from healthcare facility-acquired infections, and medical costs to battle the illness hovers around $45 billion a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Learn more about the Florida carpenters ICRA program at http://flcrc.org/construction-icra/