Short answer: Construction near surgical suites requires an Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) with continuous or multiple-daily differential pressure monitoring, dust containment verification, and daily documentation — because gaps in airflow control put immunocompromised patients at risk of airborne pathogens like *Aspergillus*.[3][4] The documentation challenge is real: field techs are often taking readings at several containment barriers in a single walkthrough, and a missed pressure reading is a missed compliance point.
What is an ICRA, and why does it apply to surgical renovations?
An Infection Control Risk Assessment is a proactive, multidisciplinary process — infection prevention, industrial hygiene, facilities, and construction working together — used to identify and mitigate infection risk before and during healthcare construction or renovation.[1][6] Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) requirements call for an ICRA on essentially all construction and renovation projects in a healthcare facility.[5]
Surgical suites carry elevated stakes because:
- Immunocompromised and surgical patients are highly vulnerable to airborne fungal spores like *Aspergillus*, which construction dust can disturb and spread.[1]
- Operating rooms typically require negative-pressure containment relative to the construction zone, maintained continuously.[1][5]
- The ASHE ICRA 2.0 matrix — developed with the CDC — is the current industry reference tool for classifying construction risk and required precautions.[1][6]
What actually gets monitored during the renovation?
A properly run ICRA construction zone generates several parallel data streams, often simultaneously:
- Differential pressure — continuous or multiple-daily readings verifying the construction zone stays negative relative to adjacent clean areas.[3][4]
- Barrier integrity — daily visual inspection of containment walls, seals, and signage.[3]
- Particulate/spore sampling — for high-risk areas like ORs, baseline and follow-up fungal spore sampling.[3]
- HEPA filtration performance — particle counters verifying portable HEPA units are actually creating the intended negative pressure.[1]
Multiply that across every containment barrier on a multi-phase renovation, and you have a field tech moving between several checkpoints, each demanding its own precise reading, on the same walkthrough.
Why do field notes break down here specifically?
Because the failure mode isn't ignorance — it's volume and repetition. A technician checking pressure differentials at four barriers, twice a day, for weeks, is a near-certainty to skip a field eventually on paper.
- Omitted readings: a pressure reading not taken (or not written down) at one barrier on one round breaks the continuous documentation FGI and ICRA protocols call for.[2][3]
- Ambiguous location logging: "OR corridor" isn't the same as a specific, repeatable barrier ID when there are multiple barriers active.
- Delayed write-up: readings jotted on a clipboard and transcribed later invite transcription error on numbers that regulators and infection control teams take seriously.
Documentation here isn't paperwork for its own sake — daily logs of pressure readings, inspection results, and any deviations are exactly what infection control and AHJs (authorities having jurisdiction) expect to review.[3][6]
How myIH supports ICRA field documentation
myIH is industrial hygiene field-note software that structures observations at the point of collection — built for exactly this kind of repetitive, multi-location field workflow.
- Prompted, structured entries at each containment barrier make it hard to skip a required pressure reading or field
- Consistent barrier/location tagging across rounds, so trending and audit review are clean
- Real-time oversight of what's being logged as your team moves between checkpoints during a shift
- One-click export to Excel or PDF field notes when infection control or the AHJ needs the daily log
To be clear on scope: myIH provides real-time oversight of your team's field observations — not continuous sensor telemetry or automated pressure-monitoring alerts. It's the layer that makes sure every manual reading your team takes gets captured completely and stays retrievable.
Frequently asked questions
An Infection Control Risk Assessment — a multidisciplinary process required by FGI Guidelines to identify and mitigate infection risk during healthcare construction or renovation.
Continuously or multiple times daily, with results logged and trended over the project duration.
Because immunocompromised and surgical patients are especially vulnerable to airborne fungal spores like Aspergillus, which construction activity can disturb.
References
- "ICRA 2.0 & the Future of Healthcare Construction Safety." HigginsEDU, 27 June 2025
- "What is ICRA and Why Does It Matter for Hospital Renovations?" Imperial Privacy Systems, 11 Mar. 2026
- "Infection Control Risk Assessment: ICRA Matrix, Construction Protocols, and Barrier Requirements." Healthcare Facility Hub, 10 May 2026
- "Infection Control Risk Assessment." HBW Construction, 30 Oct. 2024
- "FGI Guidelines: Healthcare Requirements." Envigilance, 2 Mar. 2026
- "ASHE ICRA 2.0® Toolkit." American Society for Health Care Engineering
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