Improving your facility's dust containment protocol can seem like a daunting task. Luckily, unless you are a brand new facility, you aren't starting from scratch. Whether you are concerned about an upcoming inspection or just think your facility could do a little bit better, consider these five tips for improving your dust containment protocol.

Hire Professionals

Depending on your facility, you probably have an infection control officer along with a facilities manager. Maybe one of these is even your role. But no matter how educated and effective the people filling these roles are, dust containment is not their full-time job. If your dust containment is need of a bit of polish, consider bringing in a professional. You can schedule a training with a dust containment specialist, or consider outsourcing your next ceiling access project to skilled contractors. The more expertise someone has in the specifics of dust abatement, the better outcomes for the facility and patient.

Re-read Specifications

Even if you think you know the specifications that apply to your facility forwards and backwards, you still might benefit from a little refresher. Take a few hours to re-read the applicable dust containment regulations for infection control, ceiling access or dust containment.

Schedule a Containment Strategy Meeting

One of the best ways to ensure that your dust containment and infection control measures are top of mind for facility staff is to have regular meetings discussing steps that are being taken to improve your healthcare environment. These meetings are a place to address concerns and brainstorm new solutions. Find some time today to talk to key stakeholders about dust containment.

Create a Measurable Goal

Perhaps you feel you are already addressing the most critical aspects of dust containment but you still want to know you are doing everything right. Take some time today to create a measurable goal for your dust containment policies. For example, do you want to reduce HAIs over the course of the next year? Or complete a renovation project in a specified amount of time? Or invest in a new portable dust containment solution? You have time today to choose just one goal and put a timeframe on it. That way, you can work towards reaching that goal as part of your regular routine.

Set a Standard for Contractors

Contractors that you hire should be familiar with and experienced in working in a high-risk environment. If you want to improve your facility's dust containment protocol, consider implementing a permitting or education requirement for the contractors your hire. Of course, this is not the sort of thing that can be completed in a day, but make a time to discuss the idea with infection control stakeholders, current contractors, or other management.

Improving dust containment standards is not necessarily an easy task, but if you take steps towards improvement on a regular basis, you can improve your facility environment and ultimately patient outcomes.