Questions to Ask a Contractor before a Ceiling Access Project

Ceiling access projects, potentially, can become one of the biggest loopholes in any healthcare facility’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidelines and practices. It introduces a range of external equipment and personnel with IPC practices, equipment functionality, integrity, and conduct of their own. Hence, it becomes crucial to verify the contractor’s competence, capacity, and values before hiring them for a ceiling access project.

This post will highlight the questions that should be asked during selection interviews, their relevance, and how they will help you better evaluate your options.

Questions to Evaluate Competence

The following questions are direct and quantitatively judge the contractor’s experience in handling a ceiling access project:

1. May I see your license(s) and registration?
2. How long have you been working as a contractor?

Once you have verified the legal certification and experience, you should move towards more qualitative assessment. Experience in years alone is never enough for the competency of a contractor. Competency can be qualitatively judged with the following:

1. On average, how many contracts similar to ours do you do in a year?
2. Are you currently contracted to other projects? If so, I would like to see an ongoing project. Please supply references I can contact about your most recent work.
3. Will you be working on my project personally or will you be hiring subcontractors?

As you can see, the above questions assess the commitment, integrity, and dedication of the contractor to each project. It goes to show you the level of their competence and the attention the contractor will give to your project.

Questions to Evaluate Contractor’s Equipment

You may have implemented the most thorough and stringent of IPC programs, but the contractor’s equipment and personnel are variables beyond your control that are the responsibility of the contractor. Hence, you must assess their understanding of the ICRA guidelines and the risk assessment matrix:

1. How will you be assessing the risks for infection? Can I have an initial assessment report for the project?
2. What standard precautions will you take and how will they be applied?
3. Will you apply transmission-based precautions? How?
4. What equipment will your team use to keep patients and staff safe from infections and other health hazards?
5. Is your equipment HEPA certified?

Important verification tests include a HEPA MERV rating of 18 and above, filter integrity tests (IEST-RP-CC0034.2), and the particulate tests (ISO 14644 Class V air).

Questions to Assess Project Risks

Unfortunate incidents happen even when the best practices, the most stringent audits, and the most up to date equipment are employed. Does your contractor understand the risks, and are they prepared for them? Learn with the following:

1. May I see proof of your insurance prior to starting the project?
2. How will you assess the project risks? How will you be managing them? Will you be offering a backup plan for project continuity and containment?
3. Will you be documenting the whole process? How?
4. What products and processes will you be using for your routine environmental cleaning of the project site?

Questions to Evaluate Budget and Timeline

Finally, narrow down on budget and timeframe for the project:

1. Are there some hidden conditions that we might discover during the course of the project? How much could they cost?
2. Will you be working full-time on my project or do you have multiple projects running in the same timeframe?

Conclusion

When you are hiring a contractor for the first time, you are taking a risk. However, when you are familiar with the containment regulations that apply to your facility and take the time to ensure your contractor, his or her personnel, and the equipment being used are prepared to adhere to the correct infection control and containment procedures, you can feel good about your choice.

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