Water Damage In Medical Facilities

By Author: Leo Nov
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There are very few areas in a medical facility that are without risks when water intrusion occurs. The fact that the sick or vulnerable are confined in these facilities poses the biggest risk because an emergency situation can impact the condition of patients and even put lives at risk.

Unfortunately, there are instances wherein patients need to be relocated. The management must ensure the safe transportation of patients. This endeavor is also very expensive, often requiring helicopter transport services. The management must also pay careful attention to infection control when addressing water damage.

Another health risk comes from hazardous materials that are normally found in medical facilities such as chemicals and biohazard, laboratory and other medical wastes that could come into contact with the water entering the building and cause contamination.

Water damage in medical facilities could cost thousands up to millions of dollars in property damages since clinics and hospitals use expensive specialized equipment for diagnosis, lab tests and treatment. Water damage could also cripple the hospital's ...
... computer system if the electrical supply to the building has been impacted.

Aside from the financial costs of damaged equipment, however, the inability to use medical equipment or access the hospital's network could mean interruption to medical services and increased work load for staff members who may have to provide medical care manually if power-dependent machines cannot be used.

Depending on the extent of damage, a medical facility would also be looking at the cost of clean up, remediation or restoration of the building as well as replacement of water-damaged furniture and equipment.

Preparedness and Prevention
By being proactive, medical facilities can stop water damage from happening or at least keep its effects to a minimum. A good first step towards preparedness is identifying what are the risks present in the facility and which areas carry the most risk of water damage? When these elements are known, then the management can make plans accordingly to eliminate or reduce risks.

One of the best preventive actions to take is to perform regular building inspection and maintenance. This may seem too simple a solution in our high-tech world, but basic inspections conducted regularly allow many potential water damage sources in a building to be detected early and resolved before they lead to actual damage. The maintenance department must have a checklist of the different critical areas that must be inspected thoroughly as scheduled.

Along with regular maintenance, it is important to have an emergency response plan that will detail what the staff should do in different water damage scenarios. The plan should be reinforced by the creation of a rapid response team and partnerships with external groups and companies such as a water damage restoration expert that can provide emergency service to the facility.

However, planning is just half of the picture. The other half calls for education and training of staff about emergency procedures and rules. The staff must also know where to find water shut-off valves and how to turn them off in the event of a water leak. It will also benefit the facility if the staff is made aware of various water damage risks existing in the facility and how they can detect signs of water intrusion or moisture problems.

Recovering from Water Damage
Recovery from water damage begins with remediation efforts that include assessment of water damage, quick removal of wet materials, evaluation of the affected area for microbial growth, procedures to control the spread of infection, and documentation that thorough decontamination was carried out.

Time is always of the essence in any water damage incident, but more so when it occurs in a medical facility. A professional contractor in water remediation should be called immediately so that water extraction can begin as soon as possible. Any building materials that are dried out completely within 48 hours should be removed to at least 24 inches above the level of saturation.

All water-damaged drywall, insulation and ceiling tiles, and fireproofing materials need to be removed. The water restoration professionals will likely collect fungal spores before the remediation to establish the baseline level as well as conduct sampling after remediation to document that decontamination was done properly.

Because water intrusion calls for rapid response, it will help prevent delays in restoration and recovery efforts if medical facilities have an emergency response plan and business continuity plan in place that identifies local service providers such as water damage restoration experts. It would be ideal to set up an agreement with such companies in advance for emergency service. All throughout the restoration efforts, safety and infection control offices must be involved to continuously monitor activities.
Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS.com, a leading service provider for fire and water damage cleanups. To learn more about water damage clean up and water damage contractors, visit RestorationSOS.com