Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA)
During a time of heightened need for infection prevention and control in our nation’s healthcare facilities, the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council is stepping up to the challenge. We are taking a proactive stance on construction related nosocomial infections through our 24-hour Construction Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) training program. This course has 16-hours of classroom training, teaching the carpenters the “why” this is critical, and 8-hours of shop time, which the carpenters learn “how” to protect patients, staff, and themselves.
We see the ICRA training as a new standard in the healthcare construction industry. The Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council has joined groups such as APIC, APIC-CI, ASHE, and CICHE in taking a stance on this issue as well as raising awareness.
Renovation and construction in healthcare environments pose unique infection control challenges for contractors and workers. In a healthcare facility, the patient’s care is everything. Unfortunately, thousands of patients fall victim to infections every year caused by dust stirred up during renovation projects. Inadequate procedures at the jobsite can release contaminants trapped above ceilings, behind walls or under the floors. This allows the contaminants to infiltrate patient and staff environments via the HVAC system, foot traffic, and other conditions.
By having trades people with this training on your project, Infection Preventionists and Facility Directors have one less thing to worry about in their already busy schedule. Although we are not Infection Control Practitioners, we certainly are a piece of the puzzle. We realize that carpenters are not the only craft on the jobsite, therefore, we cannot be the only ones trained in ICRA. That is why we offer an 8-hour Train-The Trainer ICRA Awareness for other crafts, including hospital maintenance staff and key employees.
Our Goal: Deliver a workforce of construction professionals who understand how to protect the patients and staff during a building project, while not disturbing daily activities.