Exhausting Air into the Environment of Care; Engineering Air Flow Inside and Outside the Contained Work Area

One of the challenges we face when conducting renovations in healthcare settings is where to deposit the air removed from the work area when creating a negative pressure work environment. While we would generally prefer to exhaust directly to outdoors, this is not always feasible. When exhausting directly to outdoors is not practical, in addition to establishing negative pressure for the work area we must also ensure that we maintain existing critical interior air balances. We also need to consider the possibility of disturbing dust, mold or other hazards such as asbestos when we exhaust into indoor environments.

This session will look at several possible options that can be used to minimize the impact of exhausting air into the Environment of Care. We will review case studies to illustrate the challenges faced, the team approach to designing solutions, the implementation of the risk mitigation measures and some methods of assessing the effectiveness of various mitigation measures.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the potential impact of depositing volumes of air into an indoor location.
• List at least two key participants in the engineering controls design process.
• Discuss three options for air deposition locations and the possible risks associated with each.
• Identify appropriate methods of evaluating the effectiveness of designed solutions.

Presented By:

John Martinelli
Director
Environmental Health Consulting Services Forsenic Analytical

Mr. Martinelli is currently the Branch Manager and Director of Environmental Health Consulting Services for Forensic Analytical's Northern California Offices. He has more than 20 years experience working in the field of environmental health and safety and also serves as Corporate Lead for Healthcare Services.

Since 1997 Mr. Martinelli has been a Consultant/Project Manager and Director. In this role he has worked on numerous environmental health and safety, mold, asbestos, indoor air quality and lead-related projects. Mr. Martinelli has provided comprehensive hazard material assessments, project design and management to a variety of clients. These clients include various medical centers/health care providers, public and private schools, retail institutions, commercial property management, multi-tenant housing and various local, county, state and federal public agencies.

Mr. Martinelli also has extensive experience in training other professionals. He has been the training director for a fully accredited environmental training company and continues to maintain his accreditation as a US EPA Region 9 and Cal/OSHA asbestos instructor as well as a CDPH lead-related construction instructor. He has delivered over 40,000 hours of health and safety training to a variety of trainees covering all aspects of hazardous materials abatement, project management and design.

Who would benefit from this program?

• Facility Managers
• Facility Directors
• Architects
• Designers

Continuing Education:

• This program meets the requirements for CHFM and CHSP Continuing Education Credits.

Length: 1 hour 30 minutes

If you have problems registering online, or have any questions, please call our customer service department
at 1-800-431-7571.