New Standard Gives Requirements for Ventilation of Healthcare Facilities

Requirements to ensure high-quality ventilation can be found in a new standard that defines ventilation system design requirements that provide environmental control for comfort, as well as infection and odor control. Standard 170, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities, was written by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE).

The standard is the first American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard in the nation to specifically address ventilation in healthcare facilities, according to ASHRAE. It is available for adoption by various authorities for healthcare facility construction, such as city, state, and federal governments, and by private national organizations, such as the Facilities Guidelines Institute and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

The standard addresses systems and equipment; space ventilation for a variety of areas in healthcare facilities, including airborne infection isolation rooms, critical care units, burn units, surgery rooms, and Class B and C operating rooms; and planning, construction, and system startup.