One of the reasons for the existence of that key relationship is that environment of care-related guidance can be intricate , and facilities directors can be very helpful in translating recommendations into practice that supports infection prevention .”
the health and safety people in buildings everywhere . This is a significant achievement and milestone in connecting building design and operation with public health .”
The standard establishes requirements for an infection risk management mode ( IRMM ), which applies during identified periods of elevated disease transmission risk . Authorities having jurisdiction can determine when the enhanced protections of Standard 241 are required . The standard addresses resilience – defined as the ability to respond to extreme circumstances outside normal conditions -- in indoor air quality control design and operations . It also sets the requirements for equivalent clean airflow rate target per occupant of pathogen-free air flow , thus reducing the risk of infection . It provides extensive requirements for use of filtration and air cleaning ( such as HEPA filters , air ionizers , or UV lights ) to achieve equivalent clean airflow requirements and be cost effective effectively and safely . Standard 241 also outlines assessment and planning requirements for being ready for the times when there is an event with increased disease-causing pathogen transmissions . The standard has a building readiness plan , that documents procedures for assessing existing or new
HVAC systems to determine if they are working properly and attributing to the equivalent clean air delivered to spaces .
In May 2021 , ASHRAE released an updated edition of its ANSI / ASHRAE / ASHE Standard 170 , Ventilation of Health Care Facilities , which offers guidance , regulation , and mandates to designers of healthcare facilities . The 2021 edition incorporates 17 addenda to the 2017 edition of the standard . Changes include expanded requirements to allow airborne infectious isolation room exhaust discharge to general exhaust under certain conditions ; extensive revisions to air-filtration requirements ; addition of new columns in the ventilation tables to prescribe filtration requirement and designate unoccupied turndown ; and expanded guidance on separation distance requirements for varied intake and exhaust arrangements , coordinating with related ASHRAE Standard 62.1 data .
As the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ( AHRQ , 2021 ) notes , “ As the healthcare community and healthcare architects look beyond the crisis response to the pandemic , the question becomes how COVID-19 – and what has been learned about infection control – will impact how the healthcare