HVAC System Design and Practices to Minimize COVID-19 Risks

In HVAC System Design and Practices to Minimize COVID-19 Risks, you'll learn ...

• Methods to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 virus transmission by HVAC systems in healthcare and non-healthcare facilities
• Modes of disease transmission
• Filtration requirements for healthcare facilities
• Challenges of converting an existing patient room to an isolation room

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 5 PDH

Length: 106 pages

The global outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS-COV-2, commonly known as COVID-19 or Coronavirus, has caused serious damage to public health, communities, and the global economy. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic-causing respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, difficulty breathing, body ache, etc.

As per the current knowledge and definition of modes of transmission by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is the possibility that the spread of COVID-19 may occur through airborne particles in indoor environments. The residual droplets containing SARS-Coronaviruses can travel through air currents caused by Central Air-conditioning System ducts, where all or some air in the building is circulated and can contribute to the spread of the disease to other patients, workers, and visitors in a healthcare facility. The CDC has thus recommended keeping the suspected Coronavirus patients in specially designed ventilated rooms referred to as isolation rooms.

The most important approach to lowering the concentrations of airborne contaminants, including any viruses, is to increase ventilation, maintain pressure gradients, and high-level filtration. This course focuses on the design of ventilation, filtration, air recirculation system, and associated engineering controls in Healthcare Isolation Rooms based on an industry-wide consensus and guidelines published by (CDC, ASHRAE, WHO, AIA, and FGI).

The intended audience for this course includes building owners, architects, HVAC engineers & designers, facility operators, service and maintenance personnel, infection control specialists, EH&S professionals, and anyone who is interested in pandemic control.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• HVAC services that deliver the anticipated levels of comfort and functionality
• A zero-tolerance approach to patient safety and infection control
• Types of isolation rooms and their functions
• Role of ventilation, air changes, and pressure gradients
• Appropriate pressure differentials between isolation rooms and the adjacent spaces
• HEPA Filtration concepts to isolation facilities
• Air distribution concepts and pressure monitoring
• Up-gradation of general-purpose healthcare rooms to temporary isolation centers
• Challenges and compliance with the applicable codes and standards
• Safe infection control practices other than HVAC services

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 28 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.