How to Minimize Risks and Disruptions of Health Care Construction

Renovations are essential in every business that serves the public, but shutting down for weeks or months as the changes are made are out of the question for many companies. These facts are no different in the world of health care. In fact, it’s even harder for most clinics, doctors’ offices and hospitals to shut down for renovations because their patients are relying on being able to access the services.

It’s possible to stay open throughout health care construction without interrupting your services too much by carefully planning the project and working with an experienced contractor.

Staging Each Section Separately

You’ll need to work on the building in sections rather than going for a complete renovation all at once. Working through individual rooms or wings makes it easier to control both the traffic around the construction site and the interruptions to your business.

Invest in extra signage and foot traffic control devices to steer patients and other visitors away from the active work sites and toward the parts of the building that are still accessible. Guests could end up seriously injured if they accidentally enter a live construction site, so make sure you rent railings, barriers and construction fencing if you plan to have patients’ families visiting during your renovations.

Controlling Sound and Air Pollution

The worksite of a renovation is an area full of paint fumes, lung irritating dust and other forms of air pollution. In addition to those concerns, you’ll also deal with quite a bit of noise. Installing air-tight plastic barriers between work zones and active areas of your health care building is essential to control dust and fumes.

Working through individual rooms or wings makes it easier to control both the traffic around the construction site and the interruptions to your business.

Aside from these barriers, consider fans and vacuums that circulate the air in the work area over HEPA filters to remove the majority of particles that could bother patients. On the sound pollution front, ask your contractor about portable noise deafening panels and baffles that can be set up around each section of your facility as it is worked on.

Controlling Power Fluctuations

It only takes one small mistake to disrupt the power supply keeping your patients healthy during their stay with you. This is where it’s essential to work with an experienced contractor who has handled previous health care projects.

The right team will bring in secondary power supplies like battery banks and generators so their work puts as little draw as possible on essential medical power supplies. If the construction calls for more power, they can negotiate the installation of a temporary separate supply.

Aside from preventing surges and drops with careful power use management, an experienced team will also avoid common mistakes like cutting into live wiring or failing to disconnect the branch’s main connection before beginning demolition.

Choose Modern Construction Corporation for your next health care construction project and we’ll help you manage all of these issues and more.

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