Preface
This is the fifth edition of CSA Z317.13, Infection control during construction, renovation, and maintenance of health care facilities (HCF). It supersedes the previous editions, published in 2017, 2012, 2007, and 2003. It is part of a series of Standards related to health care facility engineering and sets forth preventive measures intended to protect patients and building occupants from disease transmission and other health problems, such as allergic reactions, that can be produced by the construction, renovation, or maintenance of health care facilities.
Changes to this edition include the following:
a) introduction of a pre-construction checklist and new site turnover requirements;
b) updated requirements for construction air handling units, testing, and certification;
c) clarification of the infection control risk assessment (ICRA) and infection control (IC) plan requirements, including updated annexes;
d) reorganization of the existing annexes, and creation of new informative annexes to provide sample checklists and additional guidance;
e) updated figures for examples of barrier configurations;
f) updated hoarding material requirements, provision for modular hoarding systems, and fire and life safety requirements;
g) updated guidance for water shutdowns and disinfection of water lines/systems, ensuring consistency with CSA Z317.1;
h) updated requirements for ceiling access; and
i) addition of new section to Clause 8, New Construction, Category 4 – Rebuilding of existing location in place, to cover significant renovation projects beyond the scope of renovation, repairs, and maintenance in Clause 7.
CSA Group acknowledges that the development of this Standard was made possible, in part, by the financial support of the governments of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, as administered by the Canadian Association for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH).
This Standard was prepared by the Subcommittee on Infection Control During Construction/Renovation of Health Care Facilities, under the jurisdiction of the Technical Committee on Health Care Facilities and the Strategic Steering Committee on Health and Well-being, and has been formally approved by the Technical Committee.
This Standard has been developed in compliance with Standards Council of Canada requirements for National Standards of Canada. It has been published as a National Standard of Canada by CSA Group.
Scope
1.1
This Standard specifies risk assessment process and precautionary and remedial measures, including quality system requirements, for preventing exposure to agents released or augmented because of actions undertaken during HCF construction, renovation, maintenance, and repair work.
1.2
This Standard is intended to apply to the activities of the following individuals or groups in relation to any aspect of construction, renovation, maintenance, or repair of health care facilities:
a) commissioning teams;
b) constructors (see definition in Clause 3);
c) infection prevention and control personnel;
d) occupational health and safety professionals;
e) architects, engineers, and other design and construction consultants;
f) planning and project managers;
g) environmental services staff; and
h) health care workers.
1.3
This Standard applies to all types of HCF construction projects, no matter what construction delivery method is used (e.g., stipulated sum, public-private partnership).
1.4
This Standard has been developed for use during the project specification phase of construction, renovation, and maintenance and repair projects, and to assist in preventing health care-associated infections (HAIs) including fungal and bacterial infections from construction activity.
1.5
In this Standard, shall is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; should is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and may is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.
Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.
Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.
Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.