CHC Healthcare Facility Design & Construction 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During an ILSM (Interim Life Safety Measures) implementation, which action is typically required when a fire alarm system is impaired for more than 4 hours?
- Evacuate the entire building
- Implement temporary fire watch patrols (Correct answer)
- Suspend all construction activities
- Install permanent sprinkler systems immediately
Correct answer: Implement temporary fire watch patrols
When a fire alarm system is impaired beyond a set threshold, NFPA 101 requires implementing temporary fire watch patrols to compensate for the loss of detection capability.
Question 2: What minimum air changes per hour (ACH) are required for an operating room per ASHRAE 170?
- 10 ACH
- 15 ACH
- 20 ACH (Correct answer)
- 25 ACH
Correct answer: 20 ACH
ASHRAE 170 requires a minimum of 20 total air changes per hour in operating rooms to maintain sterility and remove contaminants.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a 'Sterile Processing Department' (SPD) in a hospital facility?
- To prepare sterile intravenous medications
- To decontaminate, sterilize, and store surgical instruments and medical devices (Correct answer)
- To maintain sterile isolation rooms
- To store sterile linen and patient supplies
Correct answer: To decontaminate, sterilize, and store surgical instruments and medical devices
The SPD is responsible for decontaminating, reprocessing, sterilizing, and storing reusable surgical instruments and medical devices for safe reuse.
Question 4: Per FGI Guidelines, which type of patient room is required to have a private toilet room directly accessible from the patient room?
- Inpatient medical/surgical private rooms (Correct answer)
- Psychiatric patient rooms
- Emergency exam rooms
- Imaging procedure rooms
Correct answer: Inpatient medical/surgical private rooms
FGI Guidelines require inpatient medical/surgical private rooms to have a private toilet room directly accessible from the patient room to support infection control and patient dignity.
Question 5: What does 'PCRA' stand for in the context of healthcare facility construction?
- Patient Care Risk Assessment
- Pre-Construction Risk Assessment (Correct answer)
- Project Compliance and Regulatory Approval
- Passive Containment Risk Analysis
Correct answer: Pre-Construction Risk Assessment
PCRA stands for Pre-Construction Risk Assessment, a tool used before construction begins to evaluate risks to patients, staff, and the environment.
Question 6: Which electrical system is classified as 'Essential Electrical System' (EES) in a hospital per NFPA 99?
- Only the normal utility power supply
- Emergency system, equipment system, and optional standby system
- Life safety branch, critical branch, and equipment branch (Correct answer)
- UPS systems only
Correct answer: Life safety branch, critical branch, and equipment branch
NFPA 99 defines the EES as consisting of the life safety branch, critical branch, and equipment branch to ensure continued operation during a normal power failure.
Question 7: When constructing a new hospital addition adjacent to an occupied wing, dust control barriers must primarily prevent which hazard?
- Noise transmission to patient rooms
- Aspergillus and other mold spores from reaching immunocompromised patients (Correct answer)
- Chemical fumes from paint and adhesives
- Vibration damage to sensitive medical equipment
Correct answer: Aspergillus and other mold spores from reaching immunocompromised patients
Aspergillus mold spores disturbed during construction pose a lethal risk to immunocompromised patients; dust barriers are the primary defense against this hazard.
CHC Healthcare Facility Design & Construction 3
During an ILSM (Interim Life Safety Measures) implementation, which action is typically required when a fire alarm system is impaired for more than 4 hours?