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The HEPACART Blog

Can Your Old Ceiling Access and Dust Containment Cart Be Retrofitted to New Dust Containment Standards?

Let's face it, the protocols and regulations regarding dust containment and infection control change daily - across regions, from hospital to hospital, and across associated risk levels. At one point in time, your old trusty ceiling access containment probably measured up and maybe surpassed most if not all of these infection control guidelines. New information means new changes.

Your options are 1.) purchase new equipment to meet the standards or maybe 2.) retrofit your old equipment for dust containment to achieve the higher standards. or 3.) hope you don't get caught - which is not really an option. Unfortunately, with many ceiling access carts, your decision is already made for you - there are very limited (if any) retrofit options and so you are required to purchase new equipment.

How Does Retrofitting Work?

Retrofitting, is the process of improving existing equipment your facility already has rather than purchasing brand new equipment. In this case, retrofitting should not be confused with an ongoing and regular maintenance and replacement of pre-filters and HEPA filters. Instead, it is a renovation of your current dust containment/infection control equipment matching new parts and accessories that bring the equipment in line with the new standards, processes and protocols for safely working above ceiling in a hospital.

Examples of retrofitting for dust containment would be:

  1. Adding an enclosure that zips completely closed at the top to prevents dust particles from being dispersed into or out of the cart.

  2. Adding an option that provides contained access for termination for the wiring of switches, outlets, pull-stations, etc. in the walls themselves.

  3. Adding an adaptor that allows for cleaned air to be piped away to a return air duct or window to prevent any air disturbance.

The Benefits of Retrofitting

There are a number of benefits to choosing the retrofitting optionyou're your ceiling access cart. Most notably, retrofitting can be a cost effective solution when investing in brand new equipment is not in the budget. A new piece of dust containment equipment, for example, can cost thousands of dollars. In some instances, retrofitting can represent significant savings, depending on how much the equipment costs that would otherwise be replaced.

However, retrofitting is not necessarily the best solution in all situations, because it is not always the most effective solution.

How Retrofitting Can Backfire

Dust containment is a critical part of a clean and safe healthcare facility. Retrofitting should not be used as a measure to cut corners and is simply not appropriate for all situations. Furthermore, most ceiling access carts offer few retrofit or upgrade options and little technical assistance.

As is often the case, sometimes a solution that appears more cost effective on the surface does not end up saving you any money when all is said and done. Investment in new containment equipment can also pay off big - especially if the manufacturer is constantly addressing new concerns and offering retrofit options to help your facility comply with new safety standards. Not only does the right portable dust containment cart provide tested and proven containment capabilities, which protects patients and staff, it can save workers a tremendous amount of time compared to other solutions.

In some cases, retrofitting is the way to go - especially with manufacturers who make their equipment easy to do so. That said, when it comes to dust containment in high risk facilities, new equipment that is easy to use and easy to clean can be well worth the extra cost.

 

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