A recent leak of ammonia from a fridge caused the evacuation of 27 patients from a ward at Sunderland Royal Hospital. The incident was promptly and efficiently dealt with by specialist firefighters but is a reminder of how good gas and chemical hazard control is essential.
This type of event highlights the fact that hospital heating and ventilation systems are mostly unable to cope with specific and localised contamination, and often require local specialised assistance.
The IQAir air filtration units are designed for this specific application and can be configured to control each specific gas or chemical hazards found in hospitals.
The United States Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OHSA) has compiled a virtual reality tool which reveals all the locations within the hospital where gas and chemical hazards may be found, as described below:
Hospital Wide
The IQAir GCX MultiGas is specifically engineered to capture and retain a broad range of gaseous pollutants including aldehydes.
The Laboratory
The IQAir GCX MultiGas is ideal for formaldehyde and other gas and chemical hazard control.
The IQAir GCX VOC air filtration unit is the perfect solution for the control of xylene and other volatile organic compounds.
The Operating Theatre
The IQAir GCX MultiGas air filtration unit is the ideal solution for the control of waste anesthetic gases and broad spectrum gas and chemical hazard control.
The IQAir GCX MultiGas is the best solution for the capture of a wide range of gaseous hazards.
The IQAir GCX MultiGas is the best solution for capture of a wide range of gaseous hazards, particularly when fitted with the FlexVac accessory for localised capture of fumes.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping is an important part of the infrastructure of the hospital. Staff who are involved in its various operations use many products and chemicals which may be hazardous. For instance, cleaning materials containing bleach can cause burns, if spilled, and may also generate toxic gases if mixed with other products. Detergents may cause allergic reactions. Where allergic dermatitis causes breaks in the skin, cleaning staff may become exposed to infection.
Laundry
Like housekeeping, laundry is an essential hospital service. The chemical hazards are similar (bleach, detergents and so on) to those found in housekeeping tasks.
Pharmacy
The hospital pharmacy contains thousands of drugs, many of which are potentially hazardous to those who handle them. Exposure through the skin or by inhalation may occur during preparation, administration, storage or disposal.
For this particulate contamination, the medical grade IQAir Cleanroom H13 is ideal.
Contact us today for expert advice: 0203 176 0524
Further information: https://www.ohsa.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/
Comments will be approved before showing up.
There are a wide range of systems available on the market that show differing levels of efficacy in capturing airborne viruses and bacteria. But which class of HEPA filters – H13 vs H14 filtration – have a higher long-term efficacy?
In this post, we provide an overview of why air filtration is an important measure to mitigate the risk of airborne contamination and airborne viral transmission, how HEPA filters can reduce this risk, and which class - H13 vs H14 filtration – has shown the highest overall efficacy in achieving this.
Here we explore the benefits of adopting air filtration and purification systems in school classrooms, alongside recommended measures such as social distancing, hand washing and face mask use. Effective air filtration can help provide protection against Covid-19 and improve indoor air quality more broadly.