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Application Note

Particle monitoring program

during construction at an

outpatient cancer care clinic

Maintaining a healthy envi-

ronment during a ten-month

construction project is a round-

the-clock job for Shiozaki,

Industrial Hygienist Sylvie Adam

and the contractors. Frequent

particle monitoring at the work

site and in occupied areas

nearby was conducted at night

during construction work and

during the day when the clinic

was in operation.

Project scope

The clinic provides chemother-

apy, radiation and other treat

ments for patients with a vari

ety of cancers. As the patient

base grew the clinic added

more services and decided to

proceed with the build out of a

12,000 square feet clinic on the

third floor as well as a 56,000

square feet, six floors building

addition.

Once the shell is complete the

interior will be built out over

the next three to five years.

Monitoring and control-

ling construction dust

Construction projects can

generate a wide variety of

airborne particles: sheetrock

and fiberglass dust, welding

fumes, sawdust, dirt and more.

To minimize problems, the team

focused on three key areas:

•

Preventing moisture intru-

sion. The first line of defense

is to prevent the conditions

that support mold growth.

Though it’s hardly rare, new

construction at a major health

care facility is anything but

‘business as usual.’ A building

project can disrupt normal safe

guards, create stress and open

pathways for infection.

When an outpatient cancer

care clinic embarked on a six-

floor expansion in June 2005,

health and safety and infection

control professionals worked

closely to develop and imple

ment a detailed program to

monitor and control airborne

particulates.

Aspergillus species are ubiq

uitous in the outdoor environ

ment and we are exposed to

them daily. However, conditions

such as water intrusion can

allow growth inside buildings

and within wall cavities. The

greatest danger to immuno-

compromised patients is the

potential for exposure to spores

released during the construction

process. Exposure can result in

aspergillosis, a disease that can

be fatal to such patients.

“We consider all the patients

to be at risk,” says Debbie

Shiozaki, director of Environ-

mental Health & Safety (EH&S).

If Aspergillus infects an

immuno-compromised patient,

she says, “the mortality rate is

unfortunately around 50 to 70

percent.”

Shiozaki is a member of

a team of infection control

specialists, industrial hygien

ists, project managers, planners,

and contractors engaged in the

construction project.

Testing

Functions

Case

Study

Operator: Industrial Hygienist,

Sylvie Adam

Measuring tools: Fluke 983 Particle

Counter

Tests conducted: Particle counts,

temperature, humidity, air pressure

F r o m t h e F l u k e D i g i t a l L i b r a r y @ w w w . f l u k e . c o m / l i b r a r y

Summary of content (3 pages)

PAGE 1
Particle monitoring program during construction at an outpatient cancer care clinic Testing Functions Case Study Measuring tools: Fluke 983 Particle Counter Operator: Industrial Hygienist, Sylvie Adam Tests conducted: Particle counts, temperature, humidity, air pressure Though it’s hardly rare, new construction at a major health care facility is anything but ‘business as usual.’ A building project can disrupt normal safeguards, create stress and open pathways for infection.
PAGE 2
A total team approach Collecting airborne particle counts in the occupied space using the Fluke 983. • Openings in the building shell must be carefully sealed against the weather. If building materials such as sheetrock get wet, they are quickly dried or removed. Containing and filtering airborne particles. Two feet inside the exterior wall on the addition side, contractors have erected an airtight temporary sheetrock containment wall.
PAGE 3
Simplicity and speed The air filtration, containment and air pressure differentials that keep Aspergillus out of the patient spaces will also keep construction dust, odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) away. The Fluke 983 Particle Counter is used to measure particle counts to indicate when there may be a breach in containment or problems with filtration. The Fluke 983 counts particles in six size ranges, from 0.