30
ICRA is a planning tool to minimize hospital-acquired
infections.
NOTES FOR SLIDE 34
Only show the title of the
PowerPoint slide
“
ICRA is a
planning tool to minimize
hospital-acquired infections
.”
and
the first 2 bullets. Discuss the
information with the class.
ICRA is a systematic method of
evaluating the type of construction activity, and the group of patients who could
be exposed to infection risks, in order to decide what precautions are required.
The results of the evaluation and planning are documented in the ICRA plan.
Before advancing the slide,
ASK THE CLASS:
What groups of people do you think should be involved in the development of the
ICRA Plan?
Write the participant responses on a whiteboard or flipchart.
Advance the slide and compare the list generated by the participants with
the information below.
In larger hospitals, a team of people may be involved in writing the ICRA: the
construction manager, infection control staff, safety staff, epidemiology
department staff, and doctors or nurses in charge of the areas under
construction. Sometimes a construction company employee, such as the safety
manager, might be involved in the ICRA planning.
31
The ICRA process does a lot of things beyond
identifying risks.
NOTES FOR SLIDE 35
It influences design decisions. It sets
and communicates expectations
from the hospital to the construction
contractors. It helps educate and
train both hospital staff and you, the
construction worker. It tells what
equipment you will need for the job,
and what instruments you might use
to measure the effectiveness of that
equipment. It documents compliance
with accreditation requirements.
The ICRA plan will include a detailed list of precautions
that must be followed.
NOTES FOR SLIDE 36
The key principles of ICRA will be
discussed in greater detail later in
the class.
At most hospital construction sites,
the ICRA Plan will be posted at the
jobsite so you can review it to make
sure you have all of the proper
precautions in place before beginning your work. Contact your supervisor if the
ICRA Plan is not posted.
Always follow the Plan. If you see something that is not right, speak up! Mistakes
do happen and it is better to correct them in the beginning.
32
Hospitals follow three steps in formulating the ICRA.
NOTES FOR S
LIDE 37
The most commonly used tool is the
Infection Control Checklist for Risk
Assessment and Precautions for
Construction & Renovation
developed by the Barnard, St Luke’s
Episcopal Hospital, Houston and
Fairview University Medical Center,
Minneapolis, MN. The checklist
takes the ICRA staff or construction project manager through a series of steps to
classify the project and provides mandatory precautions and controls.
Distribute Handout 7. Review the charts used in development of an ICRA Plan
with the class.
Divide the class into 4 groups.
Distribute Handout 8. Assign each group a scenario from Handout 8. Tell them
to refer to Handout 7 to complete their assigned scenario. Ask participants to
write their answers on a flipchart sheet (if available).
Ask groups to report their answers back to the class, using their flipchart sheet.
Have participants listen and complete the rest of their handout with the other
groups’
answers.
ICRA employs three principles to control the spread of
infections.
NOTES FOR SLIDE 38
Controlling the spread of dust and
pathogens from our construction
activities can help prevent the
spread of infections. After the project
is assigned a class and the
appropriate control measures have
been determined, construction
practices will start by employing
three principles used to control the spread of infections:
1. Isolation/separation with barriers;
2. Negative air pressure, and
3. Good housekeeping
