RACA Journal May 2021 | Page 26

Feature

© Saftek Consulting

Split air-conditioning may be applicable in non-invasive procedure rooms provided that ventilation is adequate .

“ The unfortunate reality in the HVAC world is that the moment you bring in higher technology that is perfectly-suited in the medical field , this is where problems start . The industry challenge is that we don ’ t have enough people who can fix , maintain , or have the required knowledge to work on these systems . Maintenance needs to be looked at from a different perspective ,” says Schaefer .

“ Both AHU and packaged solutions are highly-adaptable and can be custom-manufactured to suit the client needs or the space in a plant room .”

Trox shares the same sentiment , adding , “ Over the past 10 years there has been a drastic reduction in the quality of maintenance work and lack of maintenance has long-term effects for medical facilities . The simplest example of this is what is known as ‘ sick building syndrome ’ that can be traced back directly to poor maintenance strategies .”

Schaefer adds , “ We have seen so many failures as a result of poor or no maintenance . For this reason , we have spent years developing systems to allow easy maintenance . Our packaged units for example have been designed ( with the permitting components ) so that they can actually be sprayed down internally while all electrical and mechanical parts are located on the outside .”

“ Some facilities are worse than others when it comes to maintenance and this is due to a range of issues – from inadequate maintenance budgets to just plain lack of knowledge . There are facilities that have impeccable maintenance strategies with properly trained technical staff and engineers , but the latter is less common . One particular challenge in maintenance that comes to mind is the maintenance records that need to be kept , but sadly , too often they are not ,” says Schilder .

Schilder continues , “ I recall assessing a TB-care facility and checking the air flow in various rooms , as is required by law from time to time , and discovering that there was no airflow . On further investigation , I found that when the facility was upgraded the technicians doing the electrical work didn ’ t know where the ventilation fans were supposed to be connected , so just left them disconnected . There was no ventilation at all for years ! These are real scenarios in medical facilities that need to be addressed .”

Maintenance still requires someone to go and clean the filters and AHUs , and who knows what lurks in those areas . These are the direct areas where everything is concentrated – viruses , bacteria , mould , skin cells , and more , and it ’ s a dangerous task for the poor technician to go and sort out , and even more so when maintenance is unduly prolonged .

“ Not wanting to be overly alarmist , if you don ' t have the right ventilation strategies in place , healthcare facilities can become very risky buildings . We must always keep in mind when designing and operating healthcare HVAC systems that we have become part of a global village with people travelling here from all over the world , potentially bringing with them any type of pathogen . Everyone is now rightfully focused on Covid , but the reality is that other outbreaks can become a reality at any time . Any patient can walk into a facility at two o ' clock in the morning and the staff may have no idea that this could be the start of a next pandemic . A healthcare facility ’ s ventilation system is the first ( unseen ) barrier of protection against contamination of staff and patients that are already vulnerable . Designing and maintaining these systems require the attention and expertise it deserves as part of the healthcare chain ,” concludes Schilder . RACA

RACA Journal I May 2021 www . hvacronline . co . za