The Art of Dust Containment Key Points in Patient and Worker Safety

In our last post, I mentioned some of the key points in what we call: The Art of Containment designed to help them make great dust containment choices. Again, we define the "art" of containment as 1.) choosing the best tools for the application, utilizing those tools in a competent way 2.) utilizing those tools in a competent way and 3.) looking 'good' doing it (looking safe, serious and professional). The first main element we discuss in the "art" of containment is Patient and Worker Safety -- Protecting those patients and your employees. In this blog, we will focus on Patient Safety and discuss Worker Safety in a few weeks.

Remember, It is the means and methods you use that will ultimately be under scrutiny. Regardless of what containment you choose, you have to use it correctly to reduce the risk involved with the application with the ultimate goal is a rigourous defense against hospital acuired infections. Still, there are some containment options that provide additional elements of safety. 

Here are some common safety questions to ask when reviewing containment options and safety concerns regarding patients. I welcome any additional comments you may have.

• Does the containment unit have true HEPA-filtration 99.97% or better and has the filtration system (not just the filter) been certified as such for ICRA compliance? If it is not required now, it will be in future projects. This significantly reduces risk of infected dust reaching patients. 
• Does the negative air machine and fan assembly meet the air-flow requirements necessary to safely filter the air?
• Does the unit clean up and sanitize quickly and easily? A utilitarian design with limited crevices and hard-to-reach areas inside,as well as smooth finish externally will make cleaning and vacuuming easier and more effective. Lots of plastic creates static and static holds dust. Better cleaning of the unit equals safer patients. 
• Will the containment enclosure resist tears at the areas of most common occurrence? 
• Are there clear steps of operation for the containment unit? If it is used correctly then the environment is safer for patients.
• Is the seal to the ceiling or door air tight, spring-loaded or other mechanism to make sure all dust exiting the ceiling is contained?
• Does the process built into the containment make sense for patient safety? Examine this on closely as some are safer than others.

Finally, the golden rule of containment: If YOU or perhaps your mother/daughter/son/relative etc. were in the patient room nearby, would YOU be comfortable with your containment choice and process?

Next blog, I will dive deeper into worker safety and what we believe is important. In the meantime, if you would like to discover our HEPACART™ product line, You can access our product catalog by clicking the button below. Thanks again for reading and let us know if we can help.