Hospital Engineer Volume 38 Number 4

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VOL 38

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DECEMBER 2015

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Replacing the main switchboard Air filtration Reminiscences of a regional engineer PP 100010900


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IHEA NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS National President Brett Petherbridge National Immediate Past President Darren Green National Vice President Peter Easson National Treasurer Mal Allen National Secretary Darryl Pitcher

CONTENTS

BRANCH NEWS

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National President’s Message

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CEO’s Message

11 State Branch Reports

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Membership Registrar/ CHCFM Coordinator Alex Mair Peter Footner

23 BIM trends

Standards Coordinator Rod Woodford

31 If it ain’t broke why fix it?

26 Replacing the main switchboard with minimal impact

Asset Mark Coordinator Greg Truscott

34 Reminiscences of a retired assistant regional engineer

Communication/Marketing Darryl Pitcher

40 Air filtration for pharmaceutical, biotech and hospital laboratory environments

Secretariat/Website Administrator Heidi Moon

44 Update on legionella & water quality in healthcare facilities

Finance/Membership Jeff Little Editorial Committee Darryl Pitcher, Brett Petherbridge and Darren Green IHEA MISSION STATEMENT To support members and industry stakeholders to achieve best practice health engineering in sustainable public and private healthcare sectors.

ADBOURNE PUBLISHING 18/69 Acacia Road Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160 www.adbourne.com

48 Water ingress & flooding in hospitals 52 Energy management and revenue recovery

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56 Condensing boilers 58 Energy management and HVAC optimisation in Hospitals 62 Risk-based fire safety approach for retrofit projects 67 Succession planning and workforce development 72 Cladding audits

PRODUCT NEWS

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74 Product news

ADVERTISING Melbourne: Neil Muir T: (03) 9758 1433 F: (03) 9758 1432 E: neil@adbourne.com

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Adelaide: Robert Spowart T: 0488 390 039 E: robert@adbourne.com PRODUCTION Emily Wallis T: (03) 9758 1436 E: production@adbourne.com ADMINISTRATION Tarnia Hiosan T: (03) 9758 1431 E: admin@adbourne.com

Visit the Institute of Hospital Engineering online by visiting www.ihea.org.au or scanning here ➞

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Institute of Hospital Engineering Australia or the publisher. The publisher shall not be under any liability whatsoever in respect to the contents of contributed articles. The Editor reserves the right to edit or otherwise alter articles for publication. Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisers appearing in The Hospital Engineer comply absolutely with the Trades Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication. Adbourne Publishing reserves the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication. All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors and all submitted editorial are the author’s views and are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


National President’s Message

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t is with a sense of excitement that I write my first journal report as the incoming National President. Firstly I would like to send my sincere thanks to the following Board Members who have served the interests of the IHEA Nationally over the past 12 months and who stepped down at the Annual General Meeting 2015. Those members are Mark Stokoe – W.A. Branch, Stephen Ball – Vic/Tas Branch, Mitchell Cadden – NSW/ACT Branch and Scott Wells – QLD Branch. I would also like to acknowledge the works undertaken by our extended IHEA team in Jeff Little – IHEA National Accountant and Heidi Moon – Vic/Tas Secretariat. I would especially like to thank Darren Green for his past 2 years as National President and his continued vision and direction in carrying out his duties. Darren now assumes the role of Immediate Past President and will be a great support moving forward. Your current IHEA National Board has new faces and a great mixture of experience and youth and I look forward to working closely with them in driving the strategic directions of the IHEA locally, nationally and internationally. The engagement of our Chief Executive Officer Karen Taylor has provided the opportunity to reassess our current business practices and deliverables. Items currently being reviewed include:• Professional Development (PD), including the standardisation of PD seminars nationally • Review of the current IHEA Constitution and Rules

• Governance and supporting policy and procedures • Marketing and communication strategies

AGM/NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS The AGM 2015 was held at the Pan Pacific Hotel on 10 September 2015 and I would like to announce the 2015/16 National Board Members. The National Board Members are as follows:-

Name

Position

Email

Brett Petherbridge

National President

Peter Easson

Vice President

Peter.Easson@health.wa.gov.au

Darren Green

Immediate Past President

darren.green@gsahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Darryl Pitcher

Secretary

D.pitcher@bethsalemecare.com.au

Mal Allen

Treasurer

Mal.Allen@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

Karen Taylor

Chief Executive Officer (ex officio)

ceo@ihea.org.au

Alex Mair

Membership Registrar

ama58500@bigpond.net.au

Peter Footner

Director

pesarash@adam.com.au

Greg Truscott

Director

Greg.Truscott@health.wa.gov.au

Michael McCambridge

Director (co-opted)

Michael.McCambridge@mh.org.au

Executive Committee

brett.petherbridge@act.gov.au

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L to R: Peter Footner, Darryl Pitcher, Peter Easson, Karen Taylor, Brett Petherbridge, Mal Allen, Greg Truscott and Alex Mair. Absent: Darren Green and Michael McCambridge.

The National Board will meet in the first week of February 2016 to undertake Director Training followed by the general board meeting. During this meeting we will also be reviewing current policies, the IHEA Constitution and Rules and a full review of the current Strategic Plan.

2015 NATIONAL CONFERENCE – PERTH The 65th National Conference hosted by the W.A. Branch was an outstanding success and the theme “Health Infrastructure Moving Forward” allowed for a variety of quality papers to be presented. The technical tours to Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Perth Childrens Hospital were very well attended by members. The formal dinner was held at Frasers Restaurant, Kings Park with the most magnificent views overlooking the Swan River and Perth CBD. The organising committee lead by the conference convener – Mark Stokoe, well supported by his team and the event planner Promarco are to be congratulated on a terrific event.

2018 INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF HOSPITAL ENGINEERING (IFHE) CONGRESS – BRISBANE As all members would be aware, the IHEA was awarded the right to host the 2018 IFHE Congress to be held in Brisbane. I can report that we have engaged a Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) – Iceberg Events and we have secured the conference venue Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Centre (BCEC). The IHEA will be represented at the 2016 IFHE Congress in April ’16 by Darryl Pitcher, Brett Petherbridge (President), Peter Easson (Vice President) and Karen Taylor (CEO). Jodie Parker – Icebergs (PCO) will also attend and provide all delegates with information on venue, accommodation and sightseeing opportunities and sell Australia worldwide. It will also be very beneficial for the delegation to view the IFHE Congress format, scope and program to ensure the IHEA is well placed to deliver a successful 2018 IFHE Congress.

BEST PAPER AWARD

SUMMARY

The 2015 best paper was awarded to Mr Greg Truscott (WA Branch). Greg’s presentation on way finding was very entertaining, upbeat and interactive. It captured all things good, bad and indifferent with way finding and provided a practical view on way finding principles. Congratulations Greg.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the work undertaken by past board members over the past 12 months and during their tenure on the board. Kind regards, Brett Petherbridge IHEA National President www.ihea.org.au

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Qi

Medical Gas Services Preventive Maintenance. Compliance, safety, reliability and efficiency.

With over 60 years experience providing gas solutions and support, BOC’s Qi Maintenance program’s dedicated resources are backed by the technical expertise and professional standards that the hospital environment demands. The development and maintenance of a hospital’s medical gas system is Qi. Australian Standards (AS) and equipment manufacturer recommendations form BOC’s benchmark for service. Our routine maintenance tasks are performed to BOC best operating practice which meet these requirements.

recommendations. The service of your equipment at regular intervals includes testing, maintenance repair, parts replacement and tuning.

BOC’s preventive maintenance program is designed to operate efficiently and improve the life of your medical gas system. Creating a robust and reliable system avoids unplanned interruptions to supply, builds system confidence and contributes towards greater patient safety.

With our broad Qi Medical Gas Services portfolio, BOC can help you meet the considerable challenges of compliance and safety in today’s healthcare environment. At the same time, we provide balanced insight and flexible tools to improve control and coordination of medical gases throughout your facility. Ask us how we can help you manage your servicing needs with a tailored servicing and repair plan for best practice preventive maintenance for: – Breathing air testing – Gas manifolds – Air and vacuum plant – Medical gas alarms – Medical gas devices – Zone isolation boxes – Medical gas outlets

Maintenance plans are carried out by our skilled service technicians according to applicable standards and the manufacturers’ servicing

For more information call us on 1300 363 109, email hospital.care@boc.com or visit www.bochealthcare.com.au

Depending on the design of your individual system, BOC can customise a program that includes 12 monthly service and maintenance of your hospital’s medical gas reticulation system, including surgical tool control units, medical gas pendants, regulators, flow meters, compressors, vacuum plant and other medical gas related equipment.

BOC: Living healthcare Details given in this document are believed to be correct at the time of printing. While proper care has been taken in the preparation, no liability for injury or damage resulting from its use can be accepted. BOC is a trading name of BOC Limited, a member of The Linde Group.© BOC Limited 2015. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. HCD246 EQUAUS 0515 V2

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


CEO’s Message

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ive months in and much has already been achieved.

In September I attended the National conference in Perth, an excellent event organised and managed to a high standard by the WA Committee. What a terrific way to start my role at IHEA. I spent a week meeting and talking with members, sponsors and exhibitors. Listening and learning all I could about IHEA and the hopes and desires of all involved. Beginning many meaningful conversations that have continued over the weeks since the conference. The Board executive team and I have developed and begun work on a challenging, interesting and importantly highly achievable agenda for the next 12 months. Work has progressed on a number of key governance issues so as to “put our house in order”. This work will culminate at the February Board meeting in Adelaide which will include a strategic planning review amongst other key activities. This will see us well placed to progress a number of important operational plans that you as members will begin to see benefits from in 2016.

Practitioners, Architects, Consulting Engineers, Corporate Services Management Personnel, Quality Assurance Staff, Builders, Contractors in the Health Care Field, Project Directors, Capital works personnel and all those engaged in Healthcare Management. It is sure to be a great event at an outstanding venue! The 2016 National Conference will be just one way that you can engage with IHEA. Keep an eye on the website for updates to National and state based events. I look forward to 2016 and the opportunities the new year will bring. In the meantime I wish you and yours a safe and happy Christmas Karen Taylor CEO

The 2016 National conference is to be held in Adelaide at the recently redeveloped Adelaide Oval. I have been working with the dedicated SA Committee on what is shaping up to be an exciting agenda and social program. The theme for 2016 is Managing Change, Changing Management. This is a particularly poignant topic in Healthcare Facilities Management both now and moving into the future. The conference will provide a great opportunity for professional development and networking for engineers and engineering facility managers employed in the private and public healthcare sectors, from the smallest to the largest facility, as well as consultants engaged in related work. This includes Hospital Engineers, Health Facility Managers, Risk Managers, Quality Personnel, Infection Control

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STATE BRANCH REPORTS

State Branch Reports WA BRANCH REPORT – CRAIG AGGETT, BRANCH PRESIDENT Branch Meeting August 2015, Osborne Park Hospital ost Aidan McDonald enthusiastically greeted the 32 members to Osborne Park Hospital for the evening branch meeting.

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Charlesworth, David Hipkin, Don Hitchcock, Vince Simpson, Roderick Woodford, Kim Bruton, Justin Shute, Glen Fraser, Joanne Yeowart, Lindsay Albonico, Glen Scott, Kieran McLean, Phil Woolhouse, Mark Collens, Mark Graham, Cliff Chalon, Greg Truscott, Bill Cotter and Matthew Skeen.

Mr Mark Watervoort from Atherton was the evening sponsor and the company have been operating in Australia for over 125 years and is 100% Australian owned. Founded by Fred Atherton in 1889 in Melbourne, the Company has operated through five generations by the Atherton family. Initially set up as a plumbing firm, Atherton and Sons expanded in the early 1900s to include mechanical services such as heating, ventilation, hot water systems and ‘boiling water’ sterilisers and are now one of Australia’s leading steam steriliser manufacturers. Their determination to keep abreast with changing technology has fuelled a continuous study of new ideas in related fields both in Australia and abroad. Branch Meeting October 2015, Saint John of God Hospital, Mt Lawley Host Rob Falls provided a spectacular venue with commanding views across the Swan River and beyond, to the new Perth Stadium, which is now under construction at Burswood.

Keynote speaker Dr Ric Charlesworth AM

The evening sponsor, Craig Campbell form Snap Plumbing, presented the latest in CCTV camera technology for testing and pipework inspections, highlighting the benefits of visual feedback to establish blockage causes and potential future pipe failures. Mr Alex Foster also provided an interesting insight and developments of the electrical standard AS/NSS 3003, which are under rigorous revision by leading groups – for body protection areas in both clinical and consultation environments. IHEA 2015 National Conference, Perth, Health Infrastructure Moving Forward The 66th National Conference was held at the centrally located Pan Pacific Hotel, Perth, from 9th – 11th September 2015. The theme of the conference ‘Health Infrastructure Moving Forward’, offered a view to look at the future direction and challenges for people involved in the industry and the facilities from the oldest to the latest high technology buildings. To mark the start of the event, two technical tours were conducted to both the Fiona Stanley and the Perth Children’s Hospitals, with both facilities being generously attended by the delegates. Local MC Gerry Gannon welcomed the 150 delegates and announced the keynote speakers and presentations from both the WA Government Health Department and commercial arenas including Dr David Russell-Weisz, Zane Lee, Dr Ric

Keynote speaker Lindsay Albonico

Kim Bruton, Northeast Health Wangaratta

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STATE BRANCH REPORTS At the conclusion of second day, the National CEO Karen Taylor was called upon to present the WA annual achievement awards to the following people who have excelled in the Health Care Industry: Health Facilities Manager/Hospital Engineer of The Year was awarded to Mr Fabian Edwards.

Apprentice of the Year was awarded to Mr Joshua Plate. Joshua is a very conscientious, confident and hardworking young man that has an excellent work ethos that has earned him the respect of his managers and peers. Congratulations on your achievement.

Fabian’s current role, as the E&BSC, is responsible for the effective management of Facilities Management staff and ensuring compliance with hospital policies, applicable statuary requirements, codes and standards. He has also been heavily involved with the Perth Children’s Hospital paying particular attention to the design and development of the Agility works management system. Congratulations on your achievement.

Apprentice of the Year award winner Joshua Plate

Hospital Facility Manager of the Year award winner Fabian Edwards

Tradesperson of the Year was awarded to Mr Daniel Robertson. Daniel has not only demonstrated broad, strong skills across all areas of his trade but also demonstrated good leadership and management skills that has impressed all of his work colleagues, especially during the electrical upgrade works project at Osborne Park Hospital. Congratulations on your achievement.

Trade night networking

Trade night networking Tradesperson of the Year award winner Daniel Robertson

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The Conference Trade Exhibition was supported by 33 industry suppliers, exhibiting the latest market products and providing an open forum opportunity to discuss the latest industry innovations


STATE BRANCH REPORTS and solutions between the facility managers, trades and related Industry Services. Also, as an exposure bonus, the trade exhibition area was open to the Healthcare public for selected sessions.

The conference would not have been possible without our sponsors and the WA branch would like to acknowledge and thank Agility, Armstrong, Schneider Electric, IBMS, Hydrochem and finally Liquitech for sponsoring the conference.

Service certificates and badges A special mention and recognition to Sujeevan Panagoda, Peter Easson and Brett Petherbridge for their 10 Year IHEA Membership and service.

The post Conference Dinner was held at Fraser’s Restaurant, nestled within gum trees of the iconic Kings Park, offering spectacular views of the city and accompanied with an entertaining band.

Mr & Mrs Craig Aggett and Thomas Kelly

10 Year Membership awarded to Sujeevan Panagoda

The Agility/SoftSol Team (Platinum Sponsors)

10 Year Membership awarded to Peter Easson

Conference MC Gerry Gannon & David Bower

The WA Committee of Management wish to take this opportunity to recognise and express their thanks and gratitude to the Conference Organising Committee members (Peter Easson, Craig Aggett, Neil Oliver, Mark Stokoe, Alex Foster, John Dransfield and Promaco for facilitating such a successful National Conference – especially Mark Stokoe for his valuable input and his tireless contribution as the conference convener. 10 Year Membership awarded to Brett Petherbridge

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


National President Mr Brett Petherbridge presenting the Best Paper Award to Mr Greg Truscott

STATE BRANCH REPORTS self-help Wayfinding monitors, Wayfinding elements within floor covering designs and bolder décor cues for Lifts.

IHEA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2015 – BEST PAPER AWARDED TO GREG TRUSCOT “Where the ……… hell are we” (finding a way to Wayfind) reg commenced his presentation with his back to the delegates while feverishly scanning the big screen, showing an image of the Main Directory board of Royal Perth Hospital.

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He gave up, turned around and as if being a Hospital visitor, made a plea to the delegates to please find Ward 5H for him. This simple task immediately highlighted how counter-intuitive and overburdened the Main Directory was. It marked the beginning of a journey we would take through the Hospital, using it’s Wayfinding system. When Greg asked that we see this through the eyes of an older, unwell, (and most likely highly-stressed) outpatient who could have limited English skills, he was able to highlight a series of other unhelpful elements in the Wayfinding system.

The full paper was also presented by Greg as the 2015 IHEA ANZEX delegate at the New Zealand Institute of Healthcare Engineering, National Conference in November 2015 and it will be published in the next edition of The Australian Hospital Engineer journal. ANZEX Delegate – Zane Lee he Australia - New Zealand Exchange delegate, Zane Lee, presented at the National Conference to the theme, “Bio-medical Engineering in Remote New Zealand”. Zane described the delivery of various services in remote and regional areas of Northland – an area often impacted by severe weather events, creating serious complications and challenges to the function of the travelling service technicians. Zane appreciated the opportunity to be involved in the ANZEX program, and valued the hospitality of the WA branch and the social and professional opportunities presented by the IHEA National Conference.

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Zane’s paper will be presented in the next edition of the IHEA Journal.

Along the way Greg explained how a very thoroughly considered signage and Wayfinding system developed with professional help, tried so hard, that elements were often counterproductive to the task of Wayfinding. His paper described how the RPH Wayfinding system is being rectified, plus, details the inclusion of new digital touch screen

QLD BRANCH REPORT – SCOTT WELLS, BRANCH PRESIDENT

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aving now been in the role of QLD Branch President for 6 months, I would like to thank the Branch members for their continued support and similarly the QLD Committee of Management for their assistance with arranging programs and events for members over the next 12 months. One of the biggest challenges for QLD remains the geographic spread, and the focus for 2016 will be to support country members to improve access to more IHEA services. This includes professional development seminars and training, networking opportunities and social contact. We are working hard to become more proficient in the use of the webinar service to engage country members through the use of technology.

will be presented by an internationally recognised speaker and visiting specialist visiting from Canada, Dr Normand Brais, Ph.D, Vice President of Sanuvox Technologies, Montreal and Professor at the Energy Engineering Institute. The second speaker Paul Crust from Energy Correction Options, a technical consultant is speaking on Power Factor Correction and power quality systems. The program for the professional development seminar will include; • Performance based HVAC hygiene management • Energy savings in HVAC systems and return of investment • Power Factor Corrections and energy opportunities

We held an afternoon seminar in October that was provided by Dulux with discussion on changes to the painting industry and new healthcare paint technology. The event was well supported with 22 member’s attending and sharing the networking opportunity. The Dulux presentations were circulated to QLD branch members following the event.

The QLD Branch welcomes all members to attend this PD Seminar and our Christmas Dinner function – a great networking opportunity to reflect events over the past year. We are also planning for the Jock McCoach Memorial Race day – our annual country meeting, PD and social event for next year in Toowoomba for our members. It is encouraged that members attend to make this event successful.

Our Professional Development Seminar and Christmas function will be held on December 10th 2015 at the Greek Club, and

On behalf of the QLD Branch I wish all members a Happy Christmas mas and safe New Year. THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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STATE BRANCH REPORTS Members receiving information on the function of the absorption chiller in Echuca.

VIC/TAS BRANCH REPORT – RODERICK WOODFORD, BRANCH PRESIDENT

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he IHEA Vic/Tas Branch has been quite active throughout 2015 with three successful Professional Development Seminars and a branch dinner held at the Rising Sun.

The Professional Development Seminars included: • A visit to the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC). This was an extremely informative day where members were able to see what the centre provide in the way of training, from asbestos removal through to water conservation and included displays of mixing valves, air-conditioning, solar PV systems, medical gases, and gas appliances just to name a few. • The second PD was held at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, the day was sponsored by Stryex CEO Martin Leitch, and included a site tour of the new capital works by Grocon. An overview of the project was provided by Leanne Chappell and Paul O’Dowd from LEHR consultants who spoke on New Technologies available for hospital infrastructure. • PD three was held at Echuca Hospital and sponsored by Soft Logic, with presenters John Dixon speaking on hospital projects he has been consulting on. Mark Hooper presented on innovation in hospitals and non-exporting power generation including a site tour of the new facility showing an innovative approach to renewable energy. Vic/Tas branch member Kim Bruton spoke about the replacement of the main switchboard with a focus on minimising impact on operations throughout the project. National Conference attendance Kim Bruton and myself both presented at the 2015 National Conference, Kim presented his session on the complexities of changing out the main electrical switch board while keeping the hospital operational, and I spoke on finding efficiencies in your infrastructure equipment to reduce utilities consumption. Planning for the events of 2016 is well underway including a planned site tour of the new Bendigo Health Service and a day at the Department of Health with a focus on Warm Water Systems compliance. The Vic/Tas branch will be holding its branch meeting early in the new year and is currently seeking nominations for members of the Committee of Management to replace three members that have recently retired from the committee.

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STATE BRANCH REPORTS NSW/ACT REPORT – PETER LLOYD, BRANCH PRESIDENT Asset & Facility Management (AFM) Online FM Online (NSW Health, Computerised Asset Management System) is progressing state wide with training and familiarisation occurring for each Local Health District occurring leading up to rolling the system out through 2015/16.

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On a local note, the new $282M redevelopment at Wagga Wagga Rural Referral Hospital is on track to be uploaded onto the AFM system shortly after handover Late Nov 2015. One of the first for NSW. Below is the recent Rooftop Helipad test landing and take-off on the New Acute Services Building (ASB) of the Wagga Wagga Rural Referral Hospital. Test flight and final certification 18th Nov 15.

2016 Planning An end of year General Meeting and planning session will be held Friday 11 December at Blacktown Hospital, inclusive of a) General meeting, b) 2016 forward planning re Branch Conference, c) Awards planning/presentations, d) Committee of management meeting. e) T here will be a project summary presentation and site inspection/walkthrough of the new Clinical Services Block Development at Blacktown Hospital. Learning Opportunities NSW members have received detail re the Schneider Online University signup and login via e bulletin and I encourage all to review and continue learning. Summary On behalf of the NSW/ACT IHEA I wish all IHEA members, families and partners a festive Xmas and New Year and also acknowledge the CoM, I look forward to working with them to move forward the IHEA NSW/ACT Branch.

VACUUM SOLUTIONS AUSTRALIA Proudly supporting Australian hospitals since 1998 Committee of Management Contact details Name

Position

Phone

Email

Peter Lloyd

President

0428 699 112

peter.lloyd@gsahs.health.nsw.gov.au

TBD

Vice President

Darren Green

Secretary

0418 238 062

darren.green@gsahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Mal Allen

Treasurer

0467 761 867

mal.allen@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

Peter Allen

COM

0408 869 953

peter.allen@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

Helmut Blarr

COM

0411 152 898

helmut.blarr@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Glen Hadfield

COM

0409 780 228

glen.hadfield@swahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Trevor Stonham

COM

0414 899 363

trevor@sah.org.au

Brett Petherbridge

COM

0418 683 559

brett.petherbridge@act.gov.au

Jon Gowdy

COM

02 95158041

Jon.Gowdy@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Steve Dewar

COM

0428 119 421

steve.dewar@gsahs.health.nsw.gov.au

VACUUM SOLUTIONS AUSTRALIA Manufacture & Maintenance of Medical Vacuum Systems

1300 733 665 www.vacuumsolutions.com.au THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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SA STATE BRANCH REPORT – PETER FOOTNER, STATE BRANCH PRESIDENT Activities he Branch Committee has recently refreshed its program of professional development and networking events – this will be released to the membership shortly. The next PD event has been organised and advertised for Dec 4th, covering two topics – the updated AssetMark product and a presentation by Dulux Australia on Innovative Paint & Coating Finishes for Healthcare Facilities. Dulux have kindly agreed to sponsor the event. The IHEA National Board has also agreed to provide financial support for, Mark Stokoe (WA) , to participate in the seminar and Mark has kindly offered his own time for the event. The Branch’s annual Christmas networking dinner will follow the seminar.

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put him back to work on the Branch Committee and on planning for the national conference. Membership A number of corporate memberships have been received or flagged in recent months and the Branch executive is continuing to follow these up. This continues a pleasing trend over the last year or so with Branch membership looking more positive. The long-anticipated memberships for Spotless facility managers continue to be pursued through discussions with Spotless senior management. Spotless, the new FM provider to SA Health sites, remain committed to IHEA membership and are also very interested in pursuing participation in the AssetMark program. A proposal under the new Healthcare Corporate membership structure has been forwarded to Spotless.

Two further seminars have also been finalised in principle for March and June next year – Energy Management Technologies in Healthcare and Developments in Hydraulic Systems. Initial proposals for later events have also been discussed, although membership input on preferred topics will be sought in coming months before finalising further PD events. Various communications with members has taken place over recent months, alerting members to development opportunities through relevant, non-IHEA events that might be of value to the membership. The Branch Committee recently welcomed IHEA stalwart, Vince Russo, back as a member and immediately

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Actions The Branch executive has continued with its dual role as the 2016 National Conference Organising Committee, with additional input from the IHEA CEO, Karen Taylor, returning member Vince Russo and our professional conference organisers. Planning is well underway and we are confident of developing a challenging, rewarding and enjoyable conference that will be attractive to members, sponsors, exhibitors and other healthcare and FM providers alike. Conference planning activities have focussed on: • Confirmation of site and conference facilities & layout (Adelaide Oval). • Consideration of MC and keynote speakers. • Finalising of sponsorship and exhibitor prospectuses. • Drafting a conference program structure (with initiatives to improve delegate/ exhibitor interaction). • Consideration of venues for social aspects of the conference. • Identification of accommodation options for conference delegates. On a final, sad note, a number of members of the SA Branch recently attended the funeral of Ali Ford, wife of esteemed IHEA member and officeholder, Chris Ford. Chris passed away in 2013. The SA Branch made a donation to the Leukaemia Foundation to honour the memories of Chris and Ali, two great supporters of IHEA.


TECHNICAL PAPERS

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

AssetMark T

Benchmarking

he Institute of Hospital Engineering, Australia (IHEA) is recognised as an organisation that strives for excellence in health care engineering. In order to help health care providers improve their facility management services, the Institute took the initiative of creating a benchmarking process called AssetMark. AssetMark is a structured, continuous improvement program that offers participating Australian hospitals and health care facilities the opportunity to identify best practice. Originally a costly, time consuming paperbased questionnaire, AssetMark was transformed into an online system that is easy, straight forward and offers immediate measurements and comparisons of a number of key performance indicators.

What does benchmarking offer to hospitals? Benchmarking can provide any industry with the opportunity to identify best practice in all types of areas, including facility management. The aim of AssetMark is to improve both the efficiency of operation and the quality of service delivery, whilst remaining within existing resource constraints and policy parameters. In theory, as the performance of facility management in individual hospitals improves, the mean performance in hospitals improves and in time, the benchmark itself goes up. AssetMark allows subscribers to: • Establish performance benchmarks • Monitor facility management expenditure performance • Monitor facility performance • Verify cost effectiveness • Develop evaluation data for ACHS accreditation

Valid benchmarking with AssetMark AssetMark recognises the differences that exist between hospitals (even between similar hospitals in different states). These differences impact on cost structures, services and processes, and create differing parameters for benchmarking. To deal with these complexities, AssetMark classifies hospitals by: • Geographical information • Service areas • Size and age of buildings/facilities • Hospital category • Facility description The system calls on these classifications to choose from a pool of potential benchmarking partners that are similar enough to make comparisons meaningful. The AssetMark questionnaire includes a broad range of hospital facility management performance measures, both objective and Examples of graphs & reports from AssetMark subjective, including: hospital details, hospital description & performance, hospital facility description & function, hospital facility management capabilities & competencies, hospital facility management operations, hospital facility management inputs and feedback from the facility manager.

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


TECHNICAL PAPERS

AssetMark

Benchmarking

Generate more than a dozen reports online

AssetMark provides the facility manager with the chance to objectively look at the operations under their control. The system produces more than a dozen different reports that show their hospital’s performance against comparable health care facilities. Technical support for AssetMark is available from 8am - 5pm The reports can compare your data to: • The average for all records in the database; (AET) Monday to Friday (excluding national public holidays). • The average of the top 5% of hospitals; Support is provided by the BEIMS Support Team located in • The average of the lowest 5% of hospitals.

Confidential and secure

Australia.

Ensuring the sensitive information divulged as part of the AssetMark process remains confidential and anonymous is of the utmost importance. The AssetMark website is hosted on a secure server within Australia.

The AssetMark process explained... 1 - A hospital representative visits the AssetMark lost. Users are free to save their progress, log out and website (link available via www.ihea.org.au) and return to complete the survey when it suits. Answers need to be provided using data from the previous registers to participate in the program. financial year. For example, Survey 2014/2015 2 - Once registration is submitted, the application relies on data from 01/07/2014 to 30/06/2015. This is reviewed by BEIMS Support staff to verify the ensures answers from all respondents are from the participant is a genuine hospital representative. This same period of time, resulting in more meaningful is done to uphold the integrity of the information comparisons. contained in the system. 5 - Users have until the end of the next financial 3 - Once verified, they are issued with a user name year to complete the current survey. For example, and temporary password via email. It is at this point the current survey (Survey 2014/2015) is available to the user can begin filling out the questionnaire. An be completed until 30/06/2016. Reports, graphs and invoice for the initial annual subscription fee is also responses to old surveys will still be viewable after dispatched to the hospital. Please note access to this time. AssetMark reports and graphs is not available until the 6 - Upon payment of the invoice and once the invoice has been paid. questionnaire has been completed, the user then 4 - The user completes the questionnaire at their has access to all the features of AssetMark, including own pace. An auto-save feature ensures data is never powerful reporting and statistical analysis.

AssetMark costs just AUD $750+GST per hospital for a 12 month subscription. For a limited time get an additional 12 months included in your subscription for no extra charge*. An AssetMark subscription provides full access to reports, graphs and comparative data. For additional information and service enquiries, please contact the IHEA via email (info@ihea.org.au) or 1300 929 508. *Offer available to new AssetMark subscribers who register and pay for a 12 month subscription by 31/12/2015.

> To register for AssetMark, visit www.ihea.org.au and the links.ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015 THE follow AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

BIM trends

A new way for existing buildings SCAN to BIM project for Curtin University DON HITCHCOCK I DIRECTOR AST

Don Hitchcock recently spoke at the IHEA Perth conference. In today’s world of Web, Mobile and cloud based technology, building information models are now required for design, construct and operations. Buildings are now being manufactured not built and the sophistication carries through to the operations phase where more information, and better technology tools are required. The question becomes ‘What if we don’t have BIM’.

J

ust like in the Design’ and Construct phase, BIM will provide more accurate information, functionally rich, and easier and cost effective ways to manage facilities. When Bi-directionally linked with the Facilities management system, BIM provides a more powerful tool for building lifecycle management. Hospital engineers and facilities managers often ask, how do I get my BIM? and how can I use the building model for my daily work of managing hospital assets and space. In many cases they already have the building model provided from consultants, are still using the 2D drawings and can’t easily access the information in the BIM. Most existing buildings have been documented in the old-school 2D format and not BIM, whereas most new buildings are already available as building models (BIM). How many times have you heard ‘Where is the latest drawing or do we have a drawing for that area’. ASt set about to find a better solution to produce accurate, cost effective building models (BIM) of

existing buildings, for owners to better manage their entire buildings portfolios? ASt worked with Curtin’s Properties Facilities and Development department (PF&D) to convert 83 existing buildings to high quality building models in a short time frame. The project included 28 walkways, connecting bridges and an accurate surveyed site model. Curtin University PF&D’s business plan is to replace their existing 2D drawings - which have grown over time to be inaccurate (up to 1.5 – 2M in error) and lacking: elevations, sections, details and information such as building materials and fixed assets with accurate and complete 3D models to become the source of truth of building information. ”The most accurate, and cost effective way, to bring our existing facilities into the realm of 3D models, was modeling from 3D laser scanned point clouds…”, said Alan West of Curtin Properties Facilities and Development (PF&D). Point cloud files would provide the accuracy to develop new accurate building models and drawings. Curtin’s 4 stage plan for their Bentley campus started with the building externals. The completed ‘Revit’ models of the external building envelopes were accurate to 5mm, had correct materials, and

provided outputs immediately useful to the organization and the many users on the site. Apart from the ‘Revit’ models, ASt also delivered Navisworks models, AutoCAD based building elevations, sections, and a composite site model, with the buildings accurately positioned and geo-referenced to Perth Coastal Grid. 3D laser scanning was also checked against the site survey; a valuable resource to the master planning and development team. Curtins business case included a 4 stage process to a complete BIM inventory. Each stage of the project towards BIM development would provide increased benefits and use over the old existing 2D drawings to satisfy the business case. Beyond stage 1 of building externals include the building internal structure, fit-out, services and the integration of the models with other technologies, such as the facilities management and site infrastructure systems. Curtin’s facilities team also used this project to align with the current industry practice,

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


TECHNICAL PAPERS methods and technologies around using BIM. Design and Construct industries are using BIM, and Facilities Management systems now use BIM. There are Multiple Uses of BIM at each stage, and there are Multiple Users of BIM. Early results delivered the availability of BIM data across the university organization including to Planners, AEC designers and Constructors, Facilities and Operations Managers and for the R&D Center (The Hive).

checking by the Master Building Modeler ensured correctness and accuracy to 5mm. ASt used standard Autodesk Revit tools and no third party software was required to build the models. The process also discovered many inaccuracies of the existing buildings and 2D Drawings, validating Curtin PF&D’s business plan. New web based A360 viewing technology from Autodesk now allows users to view and use building modelling information within the FM Systems without the need for the high level of skill required to create and modify the building model in Revit. ”The project delivered by ASt, has now greatly assisted Curtin PF&D in providing accurate 3D model data to our varied AEC industry consultants and partners, opening the ability to track our asset data ‘within the model’. Additionally, it provides marked improvements in our existing building data, far surpassing our 2D drawing accuracy.” said Alan West of Curtin University.

ASt provided the scanning and modelling resources and expertise to deliver 85 accurate building models for Stage 1 in the short time frame of 90 days. The project required rigorous project management and coordination through an established workflow for the scanning and the building modelling of 85 buildings. Work was done in batches which overlapped in the project plan and coordinated with the scanning team and the modelers. Compliance with Universities site, security and safety rules, daily events, construction sites, roof top access, and child care centre and required any OHS reporting. There was no allowance for bad weather in the project timeframe, and each batch of buildings allowed for the program to be continuously fine-tuned with process improvement. (Timing was critical) 3D colour Scans were carried out daily to the program and Point cloud files were stitched together, and cropped and processed for each building ready in advance of the modelling process in Revit. Building Information Models were constructed by a skilled team lead by the Master modeller and Project Manager The ‘Master modeller’ constructed the basic accurate geometry of the building with ‘Revit’ ensuring floor levels, external walls, building elements and faces were accurately selected from the point clouds. The Building Models were placed in the correct and position and angle on the site, and checked for accurate alignment, then handed over to the BIM production team for completion of the Models. Final QA

The future of ‘Construction’ is manufacturing buildings and will require BIM! Your next building won’t be built – it will be manufactured (Phil Bernstein – Autodesk) The future of ‘Managing Buildings’ will use BIM, Mobility and Cloud Services. The continued trends of building design, construct, mobility, and cloud based FM systems, will demand using BIM, as the use of 2D CAD falls further away, and will be essential in the new world to deal with complex facilities. Understanding the impact of BIM4FM will be essential for Hospital Engineers, and Facilities and Real estate Management professionals for the ongoing management of their buildings.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Replacing the main switchboard with minimal impact KIM BRUTON I CHIEF ENGINEER MIHEA, NZIHE, CHCFM NORTHEAST HEALTH WANGARATTA, VICTORIA

ABSTRACT

T

his presentation discusses the installation of a completely new main switchboard for a 202 bed subregional hospital in north east Victoria. Including a brief overview of the issues to be resolved, design, modifications and final outcomes. What is unique is this whole project was completed without a total power outage of the hospital in compliance with the key demands set out by the hospital executive. One of which was that normal power supplies had to be maintained to the Theatre Suites, ED and CCU at all times. The entire $1,050,000 project was delivered on time and budget in compliance with the projected desired outcomes.

HISTORY By 2010 the inadequacies of the electrical infrastructure for the hospital was becoming a major concern. Ten power outages varying from several minutes to hours plagued the Hospital over the 2 years 2010 – 2011. The outages were generally supply authority issues but were compounded during the summer season with temperatures in excess of 42’C between 2 and 5 days occurring maintaining high overnight temperatures. Included in funding provided in June 2012 for a new generator the final design required a new main switch and auto transfer switch (ATS) as cable access to the existing main switchboard was not possible. The works were to be

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completed over the 2012 Xmas period. However before completion issues with the existing main switchboard continued and the need for a whole new main switchboard became equally as important as increased generator capacity.

At this point NHW choose to continue the generator consultancy due to their intimate knowledge of the electrical infrastructure, to prepare the feasibility review for a switchboard replacement. Schematic design and budget estimates for a new switchboard were prepared with the scope provided by NHW.

OUTCOMES REQUIRED In brief NHW required the following outcomes from the project: 1. Provide security & reliability of the electrical infrastructure for Hospital.

Wangaratta suffered over five continual days in the mid 40’C range early in November 2012 during this period the main switch failed shutting down the entire acute hospital for several hours. A review found: • Instantaneous temperatures in the walk space between the 2 components making up the main switchboard were measuring 60’C plus. • The original switchboard installation had poor cable and maintenance access, etc. for any maintenance regime to be performed. • Due to the design to fit the limited space, expansion to meet increase in capacity proposed in master planning was not available. • The switchboard housing the main switch, ATS and metering equipment was mounted directly against a double brick wall facing north and increasing internal temperatures within the cabinets by the heat transferring through the brickwork.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

2. Provide upgraded surge protection, following previous lightning strike issues. 3. Provide for future growth in accordance with NHW Master Planning. 4. Provide ability to exercise the generator. 5. Provide ability to manage the critical peak demand days as designated by the supply authority. 6. Provide generator failure backup capabilities. 7. At no time during these works can the Emergency Dept. (ED), Imaging, Theatre cases, Critical Care Unit (CCU) and the ICT infrastructure be disrupted. In 2013, NHW was successful in its application to the Department of Health Victoria (DH) for $1M funding through the Rural Capital Support Fund to replace the hospital’s main switchboard. Final plans and tender documentation commenced soon after with a project completion date set for June 2014.


TECHNICAL PAPERS At this point design and construction of the new building to house the switchboard commenced with a budget of $322,000.

THE PROJECT Existing site conditions: The existing main switchboard was attached to the north side of the supply authority sub-station with a small extension down the west side to house the power factor correction unit. The new generator was positioned to the east of the building and road access to other site functions on the south side. This whole arrangement was bordered on 2 sides by the inpatient mental health unit and the other side by the ward block.

Existing electrical reticulation: The high voltage supply ran underground (UG) up the access road on the south side to the supply authority sub-station which supplied 3 phase low voltage supply to the buildings on site. Two UG low voltage feeders ran back down the road with the acute hospital supply directly into the hospital main switchboard. From here the supply to the hospital spoked out from the switchboard UG to individual buildings. Expansion: The clinical services and master plans indicated at the time growth would require an additional 40% of floor space of which all would be clinical occupancy, most of which 24/7. This included the corresponding increase in mechanical services and an additional lift designated for patient transport only. Design: The new switchboard would require a fire isolated room of 50m2 minimum in close proximity to the sub-station and existing infrastructure. The only option available was expansion to the west. This was

an issue as it meant building over the inpatient psychiatric ward (Kerferd) client therapy gardens and walking paths. Successful negotiations, $160,000 landscape gardening and the provision of an equal amount of land adjoining another boundary provided the solution. The switchboard itself would have mains supply, surge protection, 2 generator supply inputs and 5 sub-main switches each with an ATS. This arrangement allowing for normal and emergency supplies to be used concurrently. At this point NHW accepted the successful tender to commence construction of the new switchboard. Design variation: The design required an upgrade of the consumer mains from the sub-station. An inspection by Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) deemed that the existing consumer mains could not be extended without a costly upgrade to circuit protection within the sub. A meeting between ESV, the consultant, switchboard manufacture and NHW resolved this by agreeing to leave the existing new main switch from the generator project in place and providing additional sub main isolation switches in the new switchboard. Fortunately the switchboard manufacturer was able to fit these variations into the board before completion in the factory with an extension of one week requested.

IMPLEMENTATION Building construction variation: During the electrical design process the new building took shape with minimal issues until the electrical contractor provided the cable weight estimated to be 5 – 6 tonnes, which was to be supported by the roof. A revised structural plan and builder’s variation overcame this issue in a short time. Planning: Planning a project like this is the key element to success. Planning always requires meetings of the stakeholders involved, as you could imagine shutting down electricity to a hospital is never going to be received well. The initial consultancy meeting with the hospital executive outlined that during the implementation there was to be no loss

service provision in any shape or form. The initial staged plan by the consultant was scrapped as it proposed to use bypass and referrals to other agencies. Undaunted several plans and stakeholder meetings later a final plan that was acceptable to the hospital was achieved. It consisted of pre-works and 10 stages with eight of these requiring interruptions and/or alternate power supplies. Even though the existing switchboard to be replaced was not the best the design it did include two sub-mains into the hospital, normal and essential. These both went to the same distribution board that had a bus-tie arrangement. This would allow each sub-main to be isolated but still provide supplies to the hospital using one of the sub–mains without interruption to normal supply. Fortunately, the redundant 440kVA generator was still in place, it could be pressed into service once again to provide power through the emergency power outlets to ED, Theatre and Imaging. Without which this whole project would have stalled. For the period when there was no normal supply the hospital would run on the emergency generator with a 1,600 kVA hire generator as standby in case of any failure in the hospital plant. A smaller 50kVA generator hired from the local municipal council was used to provide power to Kerferd and a local transport company would provide a refrigerated truck for food storage during long outages.

THE FINAL PROJECT PLAN The final project plan was accepted by the executive in early May 2014 with the project to commence immediately and the pre-works to be completed by the 7th June. Pre-works by the 7th June: The pre-works included the connections between the existing hospital generator and a 2nd hire generator to the existing sub-board in the main switch room for stage 1 to commence. As this would be the new source of supply to the hospital, the installation required an electrical inspection. The two

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS generators were not synchronised and the inspector required that there could be no possible cross connection between the two generators. This was achieved by installing a manual changeover mechanism with the only set of keys to operate the system to be held by the Chief Engineer. An operating procedure for the changeover operation be provided for review and approval was provided.

On completion the hire generator was disconnected and bus-tie was operated into the normal position. The new ATS was now able to be commissioned. Two black starts were carried out to ensure the hospital specifications were met.

The hospital distribution board (DB) was fed by 2 sub-mains; essential and nonessential. The sub-board was isolated using the acute DB bus-tie that had been installed in 2001 it was possible to run on either of the sub-mains selected. In this phase the hospital would run through the essential supply leaving the main isolating switch terminals in sub-board available for the temporary generator connections.

• Generator start up and on line within 10 seconds.

This stage included the complete re-wire of the power factor correction unit (PFC), due to under rated cables being used in manufacture and the steps not matching the conditions in readiness for connection to the reticulation. Stage 1 – 8th June: With the generator running the hospital was operating through the sub-board on the essential sub-main via the bus-tie in the hospital DB. • New mains were installed from the substation to the existing main switch • Then on to the new switch board. • And a temporary set of mains fed back to the existing ATS for overnight running. The cable works were completed in 8 hours, the temporary generator connections were removed and the hospital generator placed back into normal mode. Stage 2 – 9th June: This stage required the existing ATS to be bypassed and the hospital generator supply transferred into the new switchboard ATS. The hospital would run on normal supply and the hire generator as emergency supply but required a manual changeover process that would take 3-5 minutes if needed. The cable works were completed in 6 hours.

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• A 5 second delay before the generator would start, this was to allow for supply authority HV switching in the distribution system.

• A run on period of 15 minutes to ensure that the supply authority supply would be reliable. Stage 3 – 10th June: This stage required new PFC mains cabling to the new switchboard and placing back into service, no outage required. Stage 4 – 12th June: Relocation of the cabling for lifts 1, 2 & 3. The visitor and services lifts (1 & 2) completed in 3 hours in the morning and the ED patient lift 3 in the afternoon in the same time. Stage 5 – 15th June: This stage consisted of many temporary alternatives to keep the hospital running whilst connecting the sub-board to the new switch board. • A temporary supply from the new switch board to the KTB sub-main. • Connection of a 50kVA council generator to the Kerferd sub-main. • Provision of a refrigerated truck as cool rooms for the kitchen stock • Using the old 440kVA generator to power the boiler house, ED, theatre suites and imaging. There were two 1 hour periods where the ED, theatre suites and imaging running on minimal power. Once the temporary supplies were completed the bus-tie was operated using the non-essential supply at the DB to run the hospital. New cables were installed between the sub-board the new switchboard. The cable works were completed in 6 hours. All temporary connections removed and the bus-tie returned to the normal position.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

Stage 6 – 22nd June: This stage required the extension of the temporary essential sub-mains from the essential switch board to the hospital DBESS. The hospital run on the new non-essential sub-mains via the bus-tie in the hospital DB. The cable works were completed in 6 hours. On completion the bus-tie was placed in normal operation once again. Stage 7 – the week of the 23rd June: The contractors removed all redundant equipment from the switch room

CONCLUSION The success of this project was all the planning and associated meetings with the stake holders involved. As the project was being developed the ability to massage the shape and staging of the project lead to a well informed and managed project. Completed in one month working almost every weekend, the trade teams were becoming very weary by the end. But without a very clear plan, assigned responsibilities and with teams clearly understanding their roles this could not have been achieved on time and within budget. The project assessment on conclusion found project completely satisfied the outcomes set out in the scope of works provided by NHW. 1. Security & reliability of infrastructure for Hospital into the foreseeable future. 2. Upgraded surge protection for indirect lighting strikes. 3. Future growth in accordance with NHW Clinical and Master Planning. 4. The ability to exercise generator as required by Australian Standards. 5. Now NHW can manage critical peak demand days as defined by the supply authority. 6. A generator connection into the switchboard in the event of failure of the emergency generator. 7. At no time were trauma and normal emergency theatre cases disrupted during these works.


TECHNICAL PAPERS

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


TECHNICAL PAPERS

If it ain’t broke why fix it? RODERICK WOODFORD I 2015 NATIONAL CONFERENCE PERTH

Rod started his career in the construction industry as a mechanical services plumber in 1979, other qualifications include restricted electrical licence, refrigeration, the AMCA certificate in Testing Balancing and Adjusting of Environmental Systems, Advanced Heating and Cooling design, Diploma of Engineering, Diploma of Business and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Business at UNE expected completion in 2016.

R

od has 24 years experience in construction and commissioning of major health service projects, including Walter Elisa Hall Institute Vic, Royal Melbourne Hospital, QLD Institute of Medical Research, Royal Children’s Hospital QLD, Royal Women’s Hospital QLD, and North East Health Wangaratta Vic. Rod moved to public health in 2002 and is currently Engineering Services Manager at Castlemaine Health, he was awarded Hospital Engineer of the Year in 2010 Vic/Tas. Castlemaine health has gone through a lot of building changes over the 155 years of operation, the 1860 building were never designed for modern systems.

In 1860; I am going to focus on steam generation that was provided by wood fired boilers and over the years the system has expanded as new buildings have been added to the site, we now provide steam by two natural gas fired boilers through a reticulated system to various plant and equipment. Over the past 8 years since I started work at Castlemaine Health we have been analysing our utilities consumption and making changes to increase efficiency and reduce consumption, we have had some excellent results with water and power.

As a result of comprehensive planning and implementation of water saving initiatives, water consumption has reduced by 26%. From the 07/08 base year.

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purification plant as shown in the photo, this plant was commissioned but never put into service, in 2009 with the help of funding from the Community Water grant we altered the system to provide water to the toilets only, negating the requirement of the purification plant this along with capturing water from our laundry, by recycling the last rinse water for use in the first wash cycle also reduced consumption.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS OTHER IMPROVEMENTS HAVE INCLUDED: The introduction of new chemicals for the Laundry which require less water and less heat in each wash cycle. Installation of a new energy efficient dishwasher in the Kitchen The replacement of the 100kg clothes washer that reduced the amount of water per cycle leaving the clothes holding less moisture reducing the drying time and gas consumption. On the electrical side of things, Air compressors, LED Lighting, DDC air-conditioning, time clock controls, lighting on off movement sensors are just some of the work that has been undertaken to reduce consumption. We currently have a project underway that is assessing the air flow within our kitchen and the variable kitchen exhaust quantity. Our kitchen has a large heating load with a 100% outside air fan, there is a possibility of installing a variable speed drive and running the supply air quantity down to match the exhaust systems, as all exhaust are not always on, we would automate the system so that minimum air flows and temperature are meet. Heating is provided via a steam heating coil that maintains a constant supply air temperature, reducing the volume of air will reduce the steam consumption with a flow on effect of reducing the gas consumption.

I HAVE MENTIONED WATER AND ELECTRICITY BUT WHAT ABOUT THE GAS? The majority of our natural gas consumption is used to generate steam; there are some other stand alone heating and hot water system that also use natural gas. The consumption chart shows a good trend with a 15% reduction in consumption over the 10 years, when looking at this you could easily say that this is ok especially when new construction over this time has increase the occupied space by another 2636m2 or 14% the main reason for this good result is the improvements in the air-conditioning control, new buildings with energy efficiency design standards, along with equipment improvements in the laundry, kitchen and theatre. The total load of the system has reduced over the years which are a good result. So if it ain’t broke why fix it, from the CFO prospective the cost is still rising because price increases are out stripping consumption reduction. From an environmental perspective, burning natural gas releases pollutants into the atmosphere the amount of carbon (CO²) released per MJ of natural gas is 0.0512 t CO²—e. With the current reduction in consumption we have reduced our carbon footprint over the ten years by 1,793,381 t CO²-e. This is only a minute amount compared to the total world emissions; with climate change happening and good science pointing to human activity as a cause, acting in a sustainable manner is not only sensible but makes common sense and is important to our local community. What triggered further analyse of the natural gas consumption. Well I have got to admit it was not the cost or consumption or the maintenance contractors report, it was the number of faults on start up that caused the boiler to shut down. These faults started to increase and usually happened out of hours or over the weekend when demand was low. My first reaction was to call in the boiler maintenance contractor, to do an assessment; the report came back that the main burner jets had damage to them that was causing the gas to burn inefficiently effecting the flame failure safety, intermittently shutting the boiler down on start up, further investigation also showed that a repair done some years before caused the burner to be out of alignment and this was causing the damage to the jets. The contractor increased the minimum flame setting and said this should fix the problem for now. Well it didn’t the boiler kept failing on the same safety on a regular bases. Further investigation revealed that the 2.0 mega watt boiler was going through a ten minute cycle from start up to shut down, each time the boiler went to start it would go through a two minute purge stage, it was noted that the boiler pressure would drop 50 Kpa each time it did this, this energy was heading straight up the boiler exhaust flue. A decision was made to switch back to the 1mega watt boiler and monitor the load in the field, during this time it was also noted

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


TECHNICAL PAPERS that the 1mega watt boiler was also going through a shut down cycle. We tried locking the boiler in low fire hold this reduced the number of start stops and also reduced the gas consumption and worked for awhile until the load requirements from the field increased and we ran into an under capacity problem, removing the low fire hold stopped the capacity problem but brought back the cycling problem under low load conditions, and also increased the gas consumption. The first question is why the increase in gas consumption when the load has not changed. Like all good engineering challenges we assessed other options and decided to switch back to the larger boiler and lock it in low fire hold. This produced a surprising result we found the cycling and consumption reduced to below the consumption of the smaller boiler under similar conditions, we believe the main difference was in the storage capacity of the 2.0 mega watt boiler that reduced the number of overall stop starts.

By reducing consumption from the 2007 quantity 31,805 Gj to the 2014 quantity 27,704 Gj we actually spent $203,624 reducing cost for this year by $30,142. If I really wanted to impress the CFO and CEO we could add all the reductions in gas consumption costs from 2008 to our present day and total $194,816 as a calculated figure, if I include consumption reduction savings for electricity over the same period of $259,103 and water of $53,824 the total reduction in spend over the seven years is $507,743 and we expect to add another $72,500 this financial year; my goal is to reduce utilities spend per annum by the same amount of my wages; making my position cost neutral. We as facilities managers are best placed to think outside the square; show off our skills; and make a difference to the environment, sustainability and viability of our communities and health service.

During this process we also tried adjusting the low fire flame on both boilers to minimum but this resulted in intermittent flame failure faults and readjusting the flame back to the original settings. Our analyses pointed in the direction that the problem lies with matching the restricted variable boiler capacity to the wide variable load in the field and the variable ambient temperatures. Why didn’t we find this problem in the past? This could be due to a number of changes over time in the load so that it was gradual and not all at once, the boiler service company had been reducing the low fire flame to try and reduce stop starts but just accepted that this was normal.

LEARNING FROM THIS ASSESSMENT • There are multiple systems and operating parameters and change in one system can have unforeseen changes in another.

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• Current information about associated equipment and loads is important. • Do not assume that previous operational guide lines are correct. • Ask questions; do we need to do this, can we do it better, what is the best course of action. • Local knowledge of how systems function was the catalyst to change. • Check what effect a reduction is gas consumption will have on the minimum usage amount in the gas supply contract.

IN ANSWERING THE QUESTION “if it ain’t broke why fix it” the all mighty dollar has the answer, if we apply today’s price of $7.35/ Gj to the 2007 consumption of 31,805 Gj and done nothing to reduce consumption, it would have cost a total of $233,766 for the year.

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Reminiscences of a retired assistant regional engineer Orana and Far West Region of the NSW Department of Health June 1979 to Oct 1994 KEITH WHITE I M.I.H.E.A.

and Panel Systems. We would have liked to have used the Evacuated Tube method, which had been 85% developed, only the design team ran into money problems and the final development was done in Germany. It is now manufactured in China.

I

started in the Health System when Engineers and Tradespeople were attached to Hospitals as the Regions were for Administration purposes only. In 1979 Orana and Far west decided the Engineer Mr. Robert Lowden , whom I came to admire for his resourcefulness and capability to work miracles on a shoestring budget, needed assistance in the fields of Electrical and Refrigeration work. The early 80’s saw a sharp rise in the cost of oil and many of the smaller hospitals in the region were dependant on oil for Water and Space Heating. Consequentially the Regional Director Mr. Robert Taylor directed Mr. Robert Lowden, the Regional Engineer, to research the Regions needs

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and find suitable replacement systems for them. The guidelines stated that as much Solar contribution was to be used that was financially and practically possible. He set me that task whereupon I consulted Hosplan who were the best resource group for that advice. Unfortunately with a change of government several years later Hosplan was disbanded. Had it been left alone to provide advice many of the disasters we have seen in the design and functionality of newer projects would have been averted. I looked at many types of systems and after discussions with Robert finally settled on Solar Edwards as our main supplier of Tank and Panel Roof mounted systems, Large Tank and Pump Panels, and for smaller installations Rheem for Floor Tank, pump

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

On the majority of places we used the Edwards 600 Litre system with 4 panels and a 3.6kw Booster Element in each end connected to an Off-Peak Tariff that was off from 5pm to 8.30pm each day. These Tanks were Stainless Steel and I believe if they were still in use would most likely still be serviceable. Narromine and Wilcannia had very large Tank and Panel systems that were designed to give approx 80%of their Hot water needs. Unfortunately after 1994 when I retired, without checking the reasons and savings as documented in the mid 80’s financial results and costings from the use of Solar, the Department and those who guided the future decided Gas was the go and most if not all the Solar systems have been discarded. To Natural Gas, I say a big “YES” but to use LPG is, in my opinion, a financial black hole. During the 80’s the savings money wise amounted to almost a quarter of a million dollars over the Region when we had completed the program some 3 ½ years later after 19 facilities we


TECHNICAL PAPERS converted. At the same time we embarked on a programme of Off-Peak Space Heating to replace the various forms used from Oil to open LPG types that had the possibility of Nitrous Oxide omissions which can be detrimental to building occupants, and in particular patients, if they are not properly calibrated. On a frightening note we found an Oil heating system on the ceiling of one place that had the slightest thing gone wrong the place would have burnt down. Mr. Lowden had instituted a system whereby we had to try and visit each facility at least every 3 months. We would ring before and ask if there was anything in particular that required attention so that we could bring any necessary materials. Unfortunately he retired in about 1984 and the benefits of the strategic long term programs he had set in motion were not completely recognised or realised by the Department or his successor.

Hosplan was an extremely efficient and forward thinking organisation which gave good advice and grappled with many of the problems that beset Hospitals that were moving into a new age in the provision of extended services and facilities. During the mid 80’s the Region was obliged to institute Energy Watch which had the goal of reduced Energy usage in any form. This was done and our team proceeded to roll it out into the smaller places while place like Dubbo, Mudgee and Broken Hill did there own with in house staff. I researched what was available and we, due to the Region being 46% of the State and central control as adopted by smaller regions quite impractical, opted for local control of the systems. This in turn meant that there had to be an education process for the Maintainence Supervisors who would operate the devices. The devices were a very basic NEC computer which allowed for time and temperature control and many of them had not seen anything like it. It was a case of engaging the whole of each Hospital Management to these

systems they would control, if only in a very basic way, to Time Controls on outdoor

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS lighting, Temperature of Air Conditioning, Kitchen Appliances and almost anything that could be regulated without detriment to the well running of the facility. Our supplier was a firm called “Kenobi Electronics” and they provided a very good back up service and advice in many areas including the regulation of Power factor correction which at many places was quite out of the best parameters as the Supply Authorities charged on the Power Factor basis.

Humidicribs, Ice Machines, Blood Refrigerators, Coolrooms and Dental Equipment installed in various clinics were regularly checked and repaired until about 1990 when it was decided some of these types of equipment were becoming more sophisticated and as a result needing expensive special tools and purposefully trained personnel for their correct servicing. Suitable contractors were employed to take our place.

As well as these projects our team replumbed the Water System, hot and cold, along with the Water Treatment plant at Collarenebri Hospital while overseeing the complete rewire of its Electrical System by a Contractor at the same time.

In 1990 as I had greater responsibility with Team management I was regraded from a Regional Refrigeration and Electrical Tradesman to Assistant Regional Engineer. I had been party to the Annual R.M.and R. meetings since 1982 on an advisory basis but the regrade gave me a voice at the table.

Goodooga hospital was rebuilt after a fire and we installed the 6 multi split Air conditioning systems during construction. Community Health facilities at Cobar, Wilcannia, Brewarrina, Bourke, Nyngan, Walgett and West Dubbo and Hospitals like Trangie, Binnaway, Warren, Gilgandra, Cobar, Brewarrina, Baradine, Nyngan, Walgett, and Ivanhoe had either Air Conditioning or Heating problems converted or solved. Another area was the care of the X-Ray machines and Developers, Autoclaves,

About that time it became apparent that Emergency Power Supply was becoming a matter of urgency and our Team installed plants at Nyngan, Walgett, Dunedoo, Narromine, Goodooga, Cobar and Bourke as well as being involved in the upgrade at Dubbo. Ivanhoe Hospital Roof had become, after some 50 years, a disaster and the team spent 3 weeks replacing it with new metal battens and full length sheeting. The same happened to the Nurses home at Collarenebri. Narromine Hospital became the victim of a White Ant infestation that destroyed about 40% of the building, Due to insistence that lowest tender for the service be used the Department was unable to nail the problem to anyone. If commonsense had prevailed and the same contractor continually used the estimate of approx $900,000 would have been able to be recouped. The Region rebuilt it under the direction of Eric Blight, The Regional Building Officer. He had a far sighted idea of where our Regions buildings should go and be. Being a clever craftsman in his own right and a competent builder of some standing personally, Eric organised the complete redesign and led the team of builders from start to finish. We, that is the Maintenance Team , did all the Wiring which turned out to be a major effort as the Hospital was to accommodate many new functions that were to be expected of such a building into the future.

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

When the old Coonabrabran Hospital was replaced a large storage shed was removed from there to Nyngan for a Maintenance Workshop. The Team provided all the Electrical wiring as well as the installation of a planned management System which included an upgraded Energy System Controller. Come the late 80’s to the early 90’s we were into Fire Alarms and a Computerised Planned Maintenance programs to itemise every item in each Building or Facility and how it should be cared for. This took us to Bourke, Brewarrina, Walgett, Gilgandra, Narromine, Wilcannia, Gulargambone, Dunedoo, Nyngan Trangie, Collarenebri, Coonamble, Ivanhoe, Cobar, Wellington, Coonamble and Baradine as well as Community Health Centres and some of the smaller Ambulance Stations. Again after research into Fire Alarms as to the best available to suit our needs from an isolation principle, we selected “Brooks Panelect”. This was because of the firstly ease of installation and more importantly the low number of part varieties needed to be held from the servicing point of view. The parts were also serviceable and quite rugged. We did our own annual testing until other work pressures meant this part of responsibility was transferred to contractors. The “Intelect Maintenance System”, designed and supported by Fred Birbeck of Tweed Heads Hospital, was recommended to us and implemented. It proved a great tool with upgrades provided by Fred at no cost. He was also very helpful to anyone who required assistance in setting up or had problems. He apparently upset someone and the next we knew some other system replaced it. For sheer simplicity, which was needed in the smaller hospitals I was of the opinion we should have stuck with “Intelect” as the preferred one. Hospitals were moving into a “New Age” as far as sophisticated equipment, their life cycles, maintenance procedures, additional reporting, and the ability of all, from the gardener to the Chief Engineer needed to work harder, both mentally and physically to keep up with the speed of change the late 1980’s and early 1990’s ushered in and from my observation is an ongoing process.


TECHNICAL PAPERS Life was never dull and each Monday discussions with the Engineer and Regional Building Officer, Mr. Eric Blight, brought new challenges. There were some team people who were not with us very long but the core ones, who I could rely on with complete confidence, were Marian Gorzalka, Brian Cusack, Peter Dooley, Adrian Batterstiel and Les Townsend and the Maintenance Supervisor at Nyngan, Bruce Boland, whilst not a member of the Regional Team was a great help on many occasions due to his long and wide experience. Over the 18 years I put in I had used some 22 vehicles which ranged from Holden Station Wagons, 1 Toners and Utilities, Mitsubishi Vans and Utilities, Toyota Vans and Utilities. Each of these had about 45,000 km on the clock before replacement. This was because of the vast distances of the remoteness of the places we serviced.

With the changing of the guard and the dismissal of Hospital Boards and the installation of Nurse Managers there were changes at Regional Level. The Team purpose had been redefined and this left me with essentially an advisory role; feeling I was no longer needed, as was Eric Blight, I sought and received a redundancy. The powers that be in Sydney have no concept of what is needed in these vast areas and the smaller places, which are essential to the communities they serve; have in my opinion been severely disadvantaged. Even with the latest shake up people in Bathurst, in my opinion do not have enough vision for the needs west of Dubbo. In October 1994 I officially retired from my position and had a very clear conscience that my contribution, I felt, had made a difference to the places I had the privilege to work and provide advice. I have made a great bunch of friends over the years who had made my job easier and assisted me on the various projects we attempted with great success in a large remote part of New South Wales.

After retiring I entered into the retailing and installation of Daikin Split Systems for 10 Years. I have continued my Membership of the Institute as I am interested in the progress of Health Matters Engineering wise and keep in contact with some of my best friends through emails and conferences. The Institutes goals are in good hands as the coming crop of Engineers are very savvy people. They have to be with the explosion of ideas and equipment they now face is very daunting and whilst we retirees may sound irrelevant at times to them we are able to give advice on all sorts of matters that only experience can provide. I salute the coming generation of Hospital Engineers and enjoy being a small part of the Institute whose contribution to the various State Departments is completely misunderstood by the powers that often dismiss good advice even though it being provided by the Institute or one of its members who have the advantage of ‘on the spot’ knowledge.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS


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e enjoy the reputation of successfully delivering and installing equipment into the most challenging and difficult to access plant rooms. This means thinking “outside the square� as testified by the collaborative efforts of Inter-Chillers and Smardt Chillers Pty Ltd in the development, manufacture and installation of the first PowerPax Split Vessel Chiller in Australia. Inter-Chillers specialist projects team conducts turn-key capital equipment replacements and upgrades incorporating new chillers, D/X plants, cooling towers, pumps, boilers and other mechanical equipment. Installation of BMCS and VSD drives including final balancing, commissioning and verification completes the package of quality services that we consistently deliver to our clients time after time. Inter-Chillers is an authorised repairer for most OEMs for in-house disassembly and reassembly of new equipment utilising our own refrigeration specialists without the risk of voiding warranty to assist in equipment manoeuvrability. Our experienced team is committed to providing in-house training for supervisors and technicians on subjects including engineering design, planning, logistics and contingency back up, always with a focus on energy efficient operation and reliability. Completed projects are handed over to owners with the assurance of high quality service from Inter-Chillers provided by our factory trained and accredited service and maintenance technicians continuing throughout the warranty period and beyond.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Air filtration for pharmaceutical, biotech and hospital laboratory environments DR ALLAN HECKENBERG (PHD) & SHANNON ROGER (B.ED) I AIREPURE AUSTRALIA

There are many aspects to consider when maintaining effective air quality and freedom from contamination in Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Hospital Laboratory environments. Obvious considerations include compliance (or better) with various state and federal standards for air changes, room pressurisation and filtration levels. Most air filtration systems focus on providing particulate free air (viable and non-viable); however, it is worth considering that there are molecular, non-particulate contaminants that will not be controlled via conventional filtration technology.

I

f we look broadly at air quality within a facility; internal air quality is equally as important as the quality of air being exhausted from the building. Both are considerable aspects in worker safety and the wellbeing of workers in and around the facility.

and reasonable static pressure drops). An incorporated filter access panel is convenient for NATA certification or HEPA integrity testing to assure air quality on a yearly basis. Inner wall mounted HEPA fascia with access panel (left), and outer decorative fascia (right)

This article will seek to review some of the more significant air quality controls available for Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Hospital Laboratory facilities.

PARTICULATE CONTAMINATION: HEPA FILTRATION Most readers will be very familiar with HEPA filtration units of various configurations within the facility. Generally large units are wall or roof mounted to give the appropriate “face area” that is appropriate to the required air flow for the room. Unit size is typically driven by two considerations; the required air flow and filter testing access. A comparatively large surface area is required to achieve an appropriately modest air flow rate through the filter (for effective filtration

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

Less visible to the users of the facility are the array of critical items that support these HEPA filtration units. These items include clean ductwork, effective and reliable fan and thermal control units, insect prevention inlet grills and pre-filters to remove larger particulates. In some cases UV germicidal systems to limit pathogen loads are also utilised. All of these items must work in a coordinated manner to assure cost effective and reliable delivery of air that is particulate free to acceptable levels.

PARTICULATE CONTAMINATION: ISOLATION AND CONTAINMENT In a variety of situations specified by AS/ NZS 2243.3; BIBO (Bag In/Bag Out) airborne containment systems will be required. A complete discussion of the requirements for these systems is beyond this article – sufficient to say that the technical manufacturing requirements for these critical items – in terms of dimensions, sealing, welding, air flow rates, filter construction and certification are extremely demanding.


TECHNICAL PAPERS BIBO Airborne Containment System

and dioxide, sulphur and nitrogen dioxide, reduced sulphur compounds, halogen gases, ozone, and chemicals associated with fine diesel particulates. In more rural areas, materials associated with fertilisers and insect control measures may also feature on the list. Table One: Sources and Contaminants in Outdoor Air 1,2

These containment units inevitably take considerable space within a building – partially for comparatively low air flow rate capacities, and additionally for safe access to the units, which is required for routine testing and regular filter changes. Workers and users are protected by specific protocols for these BIBO units, which prevent contamination contact for the environment, users, and change out service persons.

NON PARTICULATE CONTAMINATION: MOLECULAR CONTAMINANTS Molecular contaminants have significant impacts on the health and wellbeing of the staff and clients in these facilities. Generally unnoticed, unless associated with offensive odours, these contaminants form a very important aspect of the air quality within a facility. Molecular contaminants can commonly include; acidic gases, bases, condensables (that can condense on clean, cool surfaces), organometallics, and sulphur and nitrogen oxides. Ozone can be an issue in some circumstances as well. These items can be sourced from outdoor entrainment, scientific or medical devices, fugitive emissions from process equipment, chemical storage areas or laboratories and temporary emissions from construction or repairs. Significant loads of undesirable chemicals can also be introduced into buildings from heavily used car parks, emergency delivery docks or helipads, which in turn affect the “clean air” systems of these facilities. The reader will be familiar with the types of airborne chemicals of concern in this area, carbon monoxide

PARTICULATE CONTAMINATION EXAMPLE: IVF LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT By way of example, we can consider the impact of airborne chemical contamination on IVF clinical environments. Success rates have been linked to aspects of chemical air quality in the clinical environment.7

Source

Contaminants Emitted

automotive combustion

CO, HBr, HCl, NOx, SO2, SO3, hydrocarbons, organics

cooling towers

inorganic chlorides

diesel combustion

CO, NOx, many organics

forest fire

CO, CO2, HCl

fossil fuel processing

H2S, NH3, S, SO2, hydrocarbons, mercaptans, other organics

geothermal processes

H2, H2S, SO2

Source

Related Contaminants

livestock areas

CH4, CO2, H2S, NH3

automotive exhaust

oceans

NaCl, chloride ions

CO, HBr, HCl, NOx, SO2, SO3, hydrocarbons, organics

plastic manufacture

NH3, SO2, alcohols, aldehydes, organics

cooling towers

NACl, HCl, Cl-ions

power generation

C, CO, NOx, SO2, hydrocarbons, organics

sewage

CO, H2S, H2, NH3, S, aldehydes, mercaptans, organics

C= carbon, CH4=methane, CO= carbon monoxide, CO2= carbon dioxide, H2= hydrogen, HBr= hydrogen bromide, HCl= hydrogen chloride, H2S= hydrogen sulphide, NaCl= sodium chloride, NH3= ammonia, NO= nitrogen oxides, S= sulphur, SO2= sulphur dioxide, SO3= sulphur trioxide

Indoor contaminants are seldom considered, but can be especially relevant in new or recently renovated buildings. The off gassing of building materials and furniture, human activities, cleaning chemicals and test and maintenance materials can introduce significant chemical load to the interior of the building. Table Two: Contaminants Emitted from Internal Sources 3-6

Source

Contaminants

cleaning products

ammonia, alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, turpenes

combustion sources

CO, NOx, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, respirable particles

damp/wet areas

bacteria, insects, mould

furnishings, pressed wood products

benzene, chlorinated hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, VOCs

personnel

aromatics, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, organic acids

sterilisation processes

ethylene oxide, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone

tobacco smoke

benzenes, CO, formaldehyde, NOx, PAHs, respirable particles, VOC’s

Examples of the sources and chemicals that may impact on these IVF environments are tabulated below. Table Three: Example Source List for Makeup Air to an IVF Lab8

diesel exhaust

CO, NOx, many organics

helicopter pad

similar to automotive & diesel exhaust described in Table One

A control strategy for these items includes both conventional particulate removal and chemical absorption by dry media materials housed in filters or scrubbing units.8 In general terms, chemically contaminated air is passed through beds of dry media particles at a predetermined rate and residence time. Designed and implemented correctly, these filter beds are able to remove more than 99% of many common contaminants. The process of chemisorption, absorption and reaction that are employed are complex but well understood. Materials are readily available and consistent in terms of quality and performance. The media have extremely high surfaces area, similar to activated carbon, however, base materials like activated alumina and impregnates like permanganate may be used to provide superior retention and binding capacity of contaminants.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS Figure 1: (A) Modular side access chemical filtration system; (B) drawing describing components.8

exhaustion, then this efficiency plummets to zero. In most cases, the media is general waste, which makes it relatively easy and inexpensive to dispose of. When used in radio-nucleotide or particularly hazardous environments, testing before disposal will need to be done.

In the context of an IVF lab, a typical air flow layout is shown in the figure below. Figure 2: Diagram of setups used to control airborne molecular contaminants at an IVF Lab. (A) scrubbing outside air, (B) scrubbing mixed supply air, (C) scrubbing recirculated air from the space, and (D) scrubbing internally recirculated air.8

Air is purified at several potential points. Supply air from outside sources can be polished at point A, mixed recirculated air may be dealt with at point B or C; and additionally, air within the chamber can be improved with free standing recirculation units at point D. While the design and location of these scrubbers are relatively routine; once the air flow, contaminant make-up and levels are known, the sealing of the room and relative room pressurisation can make or break these systems. Thus a comprehensive evaluation of the site will yield the best results in the long run. The consumption of the dry filter media is directly driven by the contamination load – the more contamination – the more material that will be used. Generally an aim of the system design will be to give one year of life between changeout of filter media. However, real life application can only be determined in practice. Sampling of the media is possible, for exhaustion testing – so that the remaining media life can be calculated. The media essentially works at 100% of the nominal efficiency until

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The range of uses in clinical environments for this chemical scrubbing material is extensive. Examples include odour control for insulin production, ammonia scrubbing for research animal enclosures and removal of fugitive emissions for sterilisation units.9 There are literally solutions for any chemical material that can be safely absorbed and recirculated.

CONCLUSIONS There are several layers of air filtration and purification that can be used together to assure high quality air in hospital, clinical and pharmaceutical/biotech environments. A systematic approach to these techniques, including an assessment of what contaminants are present and their levels, is the starting point for successful remediation. All of these critical air services, do require space and service access for effective performance and any compromise in those parameters will incur both cost and performance penalties for the end users. Airepure Australia offer a range of products, services and consulting expertise that can assist you with your compliance to ACHS, DHS VIC Guidelines (and equivalent for QLD, WA and NSW), ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Requirements, AS/NZS 2243.3:2010 and AS/NZS 2243.8:2014. Airepure is a leading national air filtration company providing unique, powerful and integrated air filtration solutions, ranging from basic HVAC filtration and odour control right through to high end HEPA/ULPA filtration and airborne containment technologies. For more information, visit www.airepure.com.au or call 1300 886 353.

REFERENCES 1. A SHRAE. “2001 ASHRAE Handbook: Fundamentals.” Atlanta, GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and AirConditioning Engineers, Inc. p10.4-10.5 2. ISA. “Environmental Conditions for Process Measurement and Control Systems: Airborne Contaminants (ANSI/ISA-S71.04-1985).”

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

1985; Research Triangle Park, NC: Instrument Society of America 3. EPA. “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality.” EPA Document # 402-K-93007. United States Environmental Protection Agency and United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. 1995 4. Etkin D. “Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Environments.” 1996 Arlington, MA: Cutter Information Corp p65 5. Guerin M, Jenkins R and Tomkins B. “The Chemistry of Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Composition and Measurement.” 1992: Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers, Inc. p8 6. Wang T. “A Study of Bioeffluents in a College Classroom.” ASHRAE Transactions. Vol 81, Part 1 Atlanta, GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and AirConditioning Engineers, Inc. 1975 p32-44 7. Cohen J, Gilligan A, Esposito W, Schimmel T and Dale, B. “Ambient air and its potential effects on conception in vitro.” http://www.researchgate. net/profile/Timothy_Schimmel/ publication/13912858_Ambient_air_and_ its_potential_effects_on_conception_in_vitro/ links/09e415080512a84080000000.pdf 8. Stanley, W and Muller, C. “Application of dry-scrubbing air filtration to control airborne molecular contaminants in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life science industries.” European Journal of Parenteral & Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2004; 9(1) pp3-9. 9. Muller, C. “Applications of Chemical Contamination in Biotechnology Cleanroom HVAC Systems” http://www.cemag.us/ articles/2003/06/applications-chemicalcontamination-biotechnology-cleanroomhvac-systems


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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Update on legionella & water quality in healthcare facilities JOSIAH PADGET I MOHS&ENVMGT, BAPPSC, MEIANZ DR VYT GARNYS I PHD, ARACI, AUSIMM, FMA, M.ACA, ISIAQ, M.AIRAH

STATE AND NEW NATIONAL GUIDELINES

T

here is now a driving force to have national guidelines specific to managing potable water in healthcare facilities. Potable water healthcare guidelines are already in place in Queensland. However, the other states and territories are presently lacking such specific guidance. National enHealth draft guidelines were released earlier this year for stakeholder comment and are expected to warrant site specific risk management of potable water systems, through identification and analysis of the system processes and associated risks. Water system risk needs to be assessed in conjunction with analysis of clinical profiles to assess occupants risk to exposure. To undertake these two areas of risk assessment effectively a multidisciplinary team must be formed, composed of members of the clinical team and the facility management. To maintain water quality within a facility, management should take a proactive approach and work together with contractors and facility staff to implement risk management strategies. It is still too early at this stage to know the precise details of the National guidelines and when they will be rolled out nationally, however, managers can take active steps now to minimise their site risks. Healthcare management also must fulfil their obligations to protect workers, as well as site occupants. The national harmonisation of workplace health and safety legislation has now been adopted by most states and territories in

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Australia. The legislation requires risks to be eliminated so far as is reasonably practicable, and otherwise, to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Due diligence is required to ensure the safe environment for staff, visitors and patients, including the minimisation of microbial risks. Implementing a site management plan and documenting risk mitigation strategies is vital when proving due diligence to the regulator. The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is currently undertaking preliminary research in a number of plumbing areas. One such research focus is on warm water systems. A review of draft material for the design, installation and maintenance of warm water systems has been issued for stakeholder comment on their website. In the research draft they discuss branch lengths from the warm water system and thermostatic mixing valves, which is useful for designers and plumbers to consider. They also discuss “monthly” pasteurisation where warm water systems are heated to above 70°C for a minimum of one hour. In theory this is fine, however, the code does not address issues of some larger systems that are not capable of flushing each outlet for a minimum of five minutes, whilst maintaining the pasteurisation temperature. It is important to note that pasteurisation is only a very short term measure if the system is infected. We strongly encourage industry stakeholders to read this ABCB released draft and provide their personal experience feedback and recommended strategies to the board.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

Experts and plumbing professional have been voicing their concerns that AS/ NZS 3500 Plumbing and Drainage is not adequate to manage microbial risks associated with commissioning and construction of potable water systems in healthcare facilities. Some of the currently available guideline documents only cover hospital operational management of the water system and lack guidance material for the construction industry. Other documents are purely focused on warm water and fail to suitably address possible issues with hot and cold systems. AS/NSZ 3500 should be reviewed and updated to specifically address microbial risks in potable water and thus prevent costly and delayed openings for hospitals and health services. The costs are not purely financial but also include the cost to the local community who are then denied access to vital healthcare. The current standard, AS/NZS 3896:2008 Waters—Examination for Legionella spp. including Legionella pneumophila, which is suitable for testing treated and untreated water is consider by some local and international experts as outdated. There has been discussion that a new standard is being develop for Legionella testing in potable water which will have a lower detection limit. This new standard may be available for draft review as early as next year. New technologies for rapid detection of Legionella are now available to provide crucial results in a timely manner. The difficult choice now facing facility managers is whether to use the Australian standard method that takes up to ten days to receive a result or use a rapid method and receive results in a few hours.


TECHNICAL PAPERS A much needed review of detection methods needs to be undertaken to better assist the healthcare community to respond to Legionella issues quickly and cost effectively. The CETEC team uses both methods for most projects.

LEADING HEALTHCARE FACILITIES Some healthcare facility designers and builders are leading the way to implanting best practice. They have removed the risk of Legionella growth within warm water pipework by adopting point of use thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs). Initial implementation costs are more expensive due to the requirement of more TMVs rather than the traditional design of one TMV serving several outlets. However, there are benefits, as servicing point-of-use TMVs is faster and can be done by a single licensed plumber, rather than two. Overall, the operational and servicing costs increase only marginally, due to the increase in the number of TMVs onsite.

Many healthcare facilities have introduced onsite dosing systems. Onsite disinfection of the water supply (mainly by chlorination) has increased the overall level of control that the facility operators have over their potable water quality. Onsite chlorination allows for an improved response to microbial issues. Careful planning is essential when installing onsite dosing equipment, as it can lead to other risks such as corrosion, incorrect storage of dangerous goods and in some cases dangerous levels of chemical by-products. Onsite dosing is only effective if used in conjunction with an appropriate microbial water quality plan that correctly manages all stages of the potable water supply. Leading healthcare facilities are also updating their hydraulic drawings and systematically removing dead legs within their facility. Facilities should update their hydraulic drawings whenever new works are carried out and have policies in place that prevent contractors creating new dead legs. For the management

of dead legs, it is cost effective to be proactive when running or designing a new facility rather than being reactive.

POOR DESIGN IS VERY EXPENSIVE When a healthcare facility is poorly design and commissioned it can have devastating legacy issues. If the flushing and disinfection of plumbing infrastructure is not correctly conducted during the commissioning phase it can have long lasting effects on the water quality within the hospital and can delay opening of the facility. It is vital that professionals constructing potable water systems are clear on what process need to be conducted and the reasoning behind it, as well as compliance to guidelines since Australian standards are lagging on this subject. The use of materials that degrade when exposed to disinfection chemicals must be avoided. Also the design of plumbing fittings must not allow for substantial

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Travis Hale and Dr Vyt Garnys, CETEC presenting at Legionella Control

Debris found in tap aerator is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and Legionella

microbial growth. Water saving devices need to be checked for their potential to allow for microbial colonisation and including low flow stagnation. Warm water systems that cannot be effectively pasteurised on a regular basis are common in many older facilities across Australia. As Legionella proliferates in warm water in the temperature range of 20°C to 50°C, these systems can quickly become colonised by Legionella which will shut down normal operations. Often high microbial results in a single warm water outlet are ignored by facility management and area restrictions are the only control measure employed. Poor management of an isolated high microbial result is highly likely to lead to widespread contamination. Once widespread contamination occurs, more extensive remediation strategies must be introduced to keep the facility operational. Facilities using warm water need to conduct a comprehensive system review and implement correct control measures. Eliminating the hazard that warm water system pose by simply upgrading to a hot water circulation design will not, in most cases, be possible due to budgetary restraints. Experienced professionals should be engaged to assess what options are suitable and practical for each individual site.

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Designers and engineers should be aware of water microbial risks from the very conception of a healthcare facility through to its development, construction and operation. Water microbial risk management needs to be integrated into everyday operation. Some healthcare facilities are striving to achieve best practice principles for their potable water management, while most are still unclear on how to achieve optimal risk minimisation. Guidelines and standards need to be either introduced or updated to assist with this process and correctly control Legionella risk.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Josiah Padget, Consultant and Dr Vyt Garnys, Managing Director at CETEC Pty Ltd. CETEC were members of the Technical Advisory Panel for Queensland Health, which developed the Guidelines for Managing Microbial Water Quality in Healthcare Facilities (2013) and CETEC has also provided content for the National enHealth guidelines (not yet finalised).. The CETEC team has been conducting water risk assessments since 1987. The team can be contacted on 07 3808 8948 | 02 9966 9211 | 03 9544 9111 or at www.cetec.com.au

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

As an impressive, generous and informative gesture, Uniting Care’s The Wesley Hospital in Brisbane shared its experience and those of invited experts, at their Legionella Control Conference on 14th November. The highlights included: • A comparison of the lower acceptable Legionella limit in Europe • Disinfection alternatives • Advanced molecular techniques of detection • How The Wesley Hospital recovered from an infection episode • Engineering controls – including removal of dead legs • Ice machines and other sources of infection • The need for a team approach CETEC gave an invited presentation and was a panel member of the evening’s Q&A session.


TECHNICAL PAPERS

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Water ingress & flooding in hospitals JEREMY STAMKOS

Many buildings experience a number of water ingress events each year and hospitals are no exception.

C

ommon water ingress events can include bathroom overflow, air-conditioning condensate drain blockages, general leaks from plumbing and storm water ingress.

The likelihood or frequency of water ingress events or flooding can depend on the many factors including the buildings age, design and construction as well as environmental factors such as geographical location and climatic region. The typical floor coverings in most hospital ward areas mean that minor water ingress events can be cleaned up in a few minutes by the staff but when an entire section of a building is flooded, the clean up process may require specialist drying or restoration contractors. Regardless of the water ingress event, failing to properly determine the cause of the water ingress and extent of water affected materials can lead to reoccurrences, extensive property damage and a range of other issues including microbial contamination, nuisance odours, etc. In a healthcare Drymatic heat drying system

environment, the occurrence of mould contamination can lead to serious patient infections, which may result in ongoing complications, amputation or even death. Flooding or water ingress events can allow water to enter hard to find areas and travel to parts of the building that would not be expected. It is this water and moisture, that if unfound, will often lead to mould growing on the building materials and lead to health concerns and possible infections of patients. As such, in order to fully identify all building materials affected by the flooding event, it is sometimes best to engage the services of a moisture investigator or restoration consultant. The moisture investigation will generally include the use of moisture meters and thermal-imaging cameras to identify moisture in potentially affected materials. An important part of the moisture investigation should include the provision of a moisture map detailing all materials affected by excess moisture as well as the moisture levels of each affected material. Many restoration contractors have the equipment and capability for providing these services but may not have the appropriate insurances to cover the consequences of moisture not being found, leading to further property damage or people’s health being adversely affected. Determining the cause and extent of the water ingress is very important but it is also extremely important to know if the water is contaminated, as this can greatly change the cleanup approach. Water leaks from potable water supply generally pose no immediate health risks unless the water has come in contact with some kind of contamination. Although the water may have left the water supply as “clean” water, it is often best treated as though it is “grey” water. The simplest way to explain grey water is basically potable water that you would no longer drink. Examples of grey water may include clean water from taps or toilet cisterns that has contacted the ground. Any water that may contain sewage, chemicals or any other type of hazardous contamination is referred to as black water. Grey water will most likely become black water if it is left for too long. Even though storm water may be considered grey water, depending on what path it has taken before it entered the building, it has often become black water.

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


Once the cause of the water ingress has been identified and rectified, it should be determined if the in-house staff have the capabilities, appropriate equipment and experience to conduct the clean-up.

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When a significant amount of water has entered the property and affected numerous building materials, consideration should be given to engaging specialist flood restoration contractors to conduct the works. This is especially the case where there is black water ingress, extensive water ingress or simply if a rapid turnaround time is required. With all water ingress events, the key to preventing or limiting property damage and microbial contamination is to dry the affected materials as quickly as possible. It is recommended that when possible, to return affected materials back to normal moisture content within 48 hours to avoid significant microbial contamination. Whilst some carpet cleaning companies provide water extraction services, they may not have completed the required training and acquired the knowledge to fully determine the extent of the water ingress and how to effectively dry the structure. As such, it is highly recommended that flood restoration specialists are engaged that have undertaken specific industry training and certification. Many of these flood restoration companies have specialized drying equipment and know how to use it in order to quickly dry affected materials and structures. Examples of such equipment include Low Grain or Desiccant Dehumidifiers, centrifugal or axial fans and a range of other specialised equipment. Although specialised drying equipment such as dehumidifiers can be hired, if in house staff do not know how to use the equipment properly, it can be a pointless exercise and drying may not be achieved in a timely manner. One of the most dangerous aspects of conducting a flood clean up and drying project in a hospital is the prevention and control of airborne contamination. Patients who are immune-compromised are more susceptible to infection and the implementation of adequate engineering controls to prevent the spread of airborne contamination is critical. These measures can include floor to sealing temporary hoardings, placing the entire affected areas under negative (low) pressure and isolating the Heating, Ventilation & AirConditioning (HVAC) systems. Knowing what types of equipment will be required and how to configure that equipment to achieve the most affective drying is somewhat of a science and can prove highly valuable in mitigating losses.

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Regardless of who does the moisture investigation or drying, all affected materials need to be dried to the point of having “normal” moisture content to prevent water damage and microbial contamination. 1300 369 273 | www.enware.com.au | info@enware.com.au

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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A TECHNICAL comprehensive PAPERS restoration service provided in the event of a Storm, Flood or Fire. The latest state-of-the-art equipment, inclusive of but not limited to: Dessicant Dehumidification Structural Drying (using foil board chambers for faster structural drying).

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Drymatic Heat Drying Systems. AFD Air Filtration Devices. Axial Fans and Air Movers for Structural Drying. Trailer mounted mobile furnace. Thermal Imaging Cameras. Thermo Hygrometers. Top of the range Moisture Meters. UVGI Ultra Violet Germicidal Irradiation Machine. Submersible Pumps. ATP Machine and swabs for testing of surface cleanliness. Powerful truck-mounted systems and portable extraction cleaning systems which can be operated off its own independent generator.

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015


TECHNICAL PAPERS Hidden mould on plasterboard

All building materials contain some level of moisture, so over drying to the point where there is no measurable moisture content can cause damage to the building materials, contents and surfaces. As this is the case, it is highly recommended to determine what the moisture content of those materials should be in order to be considered “dry”. This is commonly referred to as determining a “dry standard” and can be done by measuring the moisture levels in unaffected materials in the same building. There are various moisture meters available on the market designed for measuring the moisture content of building materials including some that can only measure moisture close to the surface and others that have penetrating probes to measure moisture deep within the affected materials. It is best for regular moisture measurements to be taken from affected materials during the drying process to determine if the drying process is working and when materials are dry. One of the most often overlooked structural elements that requires increased levels of drying after a flood event is concrete slabs. Due to the porosity of concrete, it can hold a significant amount of water. If the flooding was minor, the moisture may readily spread or equalize throughout the slab and dry out without too much concern. If however the amount of water was significant, the need to properly dry the slab is crucial. It is rare that in these circumstances that running a number of high volume air movers will be adequate to dry the concrete back to an acceptable level and dehumidifiers along with heat will be required. Also, in circumstances where a concrete slab has been affected by significant water ingress, the drying of the slab should be verified by industry accepted procedures and standards. Reinstating flooring materials on wet slabs can lead to significant microbial damage to the new materials as well as create a significant health risk.

If mould is found growing on any water-affected materials, care needs be taken not to do anything that will spread the mould. Whilst minor mould can be cleaned up without too much fuss, the clean up of any significant mould contamination should only be conducted by experienced, trained and certified mould remediation contractors. For cases where there has been significant sewage overflow, mould contamination or other hazardous contamination suspected, it is recommended that an Indoor Environmental Professional (IEP) be engaged to provide advice and evaluate the success of the clean-up process.

NOTE: Following a flood or water ingress event, particular attention must be given to any fire rated plasterboard. Some of the largest mould related property losses and litigation cases have been directly related to mould contamination occurring in multi-layered fire rated plasterboard in building’s after major flooding events. Fire rated walls often have multiple layers of plasterboard which can be difficult to identify without the use of moisture meters that have insulated pins that can penetrate the multiple layers and measure the moisture content as different depths. Also, due to the density and thickness of fire rated walls, they can be difficult to dry without specialised drying equipment used in a way that will fully extract the excess moisture.

In cases where fire rated plasterboard has been significantly impacted by water, it is highly recommended that specialist drying contractors (restorers) are engaged to conduct the drying. Ultimately, the key to successfully cleaning up after a flood or water ingress event is to undertake the works promptly and professionally including but not limited to the following factors; • Identify and rectify the original cause of water ingress • Fully determine the extent of water affected materials • Dry materials to acceptable levels (dry standard) • Verify that all materials have been dried adequately, in a timely manner and that no mould contamination has occurred. Addressing water ingress in a timely, professional manner can prevent significant property damage and remediation costs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeremy Stamkos is Principal Indoor Environmental Consultant for Eronmor, a specialist Indoor Air Quality consultancy with an emphasis on Moisture & Mould Investigation. Prior to becoming a consultant in 2014, Jeremy spent more than twenty years owning and operating businesses that provide specialized decontamination of buildings and their HVAC systems. Many of the buildings decontaminated were affected by mould including many hospitals around Australia.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Energy management and revenue recovery JUSTIN SHUTE I JDSHUTE PTY LTD CPE

ABSTRACT

E

nergy consumption is impacted by low power factor installation – simply oversizing electric motors for the task at hand is perceived to be a smarter option to work with than installing the correct rating in the first place; however this inadvertently leads to increased energy expenditure. Additionally, when new technologies are introduced into an established electrical network infrastructure, it is easy to manipulate and produce a new harmonic order. Dependent on a number of factors, which the established network systems

impedance was not designed for, we begin to see failures of electrical components and financial loss is encountered. Energy revenue recovery when incorrectly implemented conceals the true cost of energy and alters the perceived financial dynamic cost against what is reality. With the ever increasing demand for electrical power, and the resulting financial requirements to pass on the cost to customers and stakeholders, it becomes a critical task to accurately manage the allocation of energy consumption.

While compliance requirements for measuring electrical energy and power continually improve, there is limited National Measurement Institute (NMI) M6-1 approval for trade instruments available. Organisations using unapproved meters for revenue recovery cannot ascertain the true cost until historical data is trended; by this time compounding loss is accruing. This presentation will review 2 actual case studies (with the business names removed) to establish correct recovery techniques and the recovery of substantial abandoned revenue:

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TECHNICAL PAPERS Case Study 1: the impact of poor power factor on measured kilowatt hours Case Study 2: the impact of using an incorrect kilowatt hour meter for revenue recovery and the impact of using unapproved CTs

CASE STUDY 1 In 1984, Organisation ABC was in its infancy; the nature of the business was such that the loading, and progression of loading, was limited to a few small chiller compressors specifically for cooling. The designed supply was limited to 500Kva supply which was initially suitable for the business. The cooling chiller compressors were operational for 90% of the time and when unforeseen events occurred, additional compressors were transported to the Organisation ABC’s facility to boost the cooling during the repair or maintenance period. After the repairs or maintenance were completed, the additional compressors were removed from service and transported from site. These events increased running costs, required additional staffing and impeded business performance. As the Organisation expanded, and due to the incidence of several unforeseen events, it was decided to upgrade the cooling chiller compressors. A number of progressive upgrades were implemented with productivity of the facility increasing to a factor of 7. The benefits of increasing operational capacity of the cooling chiller compressors was to increase availability, reduce the down time and decrease the energy consumed by the cooling chiller compressors. During the progressive upgrades, the cooling chiller compressors were increased to a point that allowed the units to be run in the unloaded condition for approximately 60% of the time, which was perceived to be a huge benefit. However, when an electric motor (disregarding Kw size) is operating with less than half the rated load, a hidden side effect is the reduction of its power factor. Power factor is not linear; there is a decrease to 0.6cos φ and lower. As

the Organisation’s energy bill is directly related to the operation of the cooling chiller compressor, this issue is then exaggerated. Throughout the progressive upgrade of chillers, Organisation ABC maintained the 1984 metering technology – an Email Ltd Watthour meter (type SD-MPE) rotating disk energy meter These meters are directly aligned with voltage, current and power factor and when a power factor of 0.85 or less is applied, an internal error is amplified. This error can be as much as 12% when operating at low power factors or less. As the new cooling chiller compressor is able to load demand, the availability call of the unit is only 60%, with 40% running in an unloaded condition. It is this condition that causes the greatest concern – the cost benefits of the new cooling chiller compressor were undermined by the higher efficiencies and caused a low power factor to be seen for periods of time. As the Organisation’s billing is a standard rate of 24 cents/Kwhr (no on peak, off peak or shoulders), the cost can be calculated quite easily. Unfortunately the impact of higher efficiency, more idle time, less call for additional cooling chiller compressors and the use of 1984 metering technology caused an unforeseen cost in the billing cycle. Results of an energy review undertaken in October 2013 showed a consistent error in that the energy meters were recording a higher Kwh utilisation than actual (as compared to a power monitor). The review also identified the existing power factor was consistently operating in a range of 0.70φ - 0.74φ (as seen in Graph 1); as such, the decision to add a bespoke power factor correction unit was undertaken.

Graph 1: Original low power factor trend

Once the new power factor correction unit was commissioned, in October 2014, the new power factor was consistently operating at 0.98φ during business hours (as seen in graph 2).

Graph 2: Post installation of power factor trend

One of the major benefits of the addition of the power factor unit has been the ability to increase product turnover by 16% whilst reducing Organisation ABC’s kWh consumption and operating energy cost (as shown in Graph 3 below and Table 3 overleaf); the return on investment is expected to be approximately 24 months.

Graph 3: kWh consumption

Month

2013/14

2014/15

Nov

$26,723.52

$24,125.76

Dec

$35,112.96

$31,717.44

Jan

$34,948.80

$36,187.20

Feb

$32,976.00

$37,134.72

Mar

$33,189.12

$34,585.92

Apr

$25,286.40

$24,894.72

May

$21,620.16

$18,613.44

$209,856.96

$207,259.20

Table 1: Energy Cost

The overall load profile of the facility has not changed, but the inefficiencies within the system have been replaced by a more streamlined version keeping cost down but output up. The latest addition to this case study has been the removal of the 1984 rotating disk type energy meter and the installation of current generation National Measurement Institute (NMI) Time of Use (TOU) smart energy meter, which has allowed multiple shoulders of TOU energy use to be utilised and further increased the efficiencies within the system while continuing to decrease operating energy costs.

CASE STUDY 2 Since completion in early 2009, Organisation XYZ has been supplied

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS to have been remedied as the screen now had values showing; it was no longer blank. This was considered, by the internal electrician, to be a correct outcome and was left in this condition without any communication to the Primary Client.

electrical power as a secondary client from a 22kV High Voltage ring feeder system. Power consumption at Organisation XYZ is monitored by a kWh meter located within their main switchboard and is read on a monthly basis since addition to the primary client’s High Voltage reticulation scheme. Between December 2012 and January 2013, the Primary Client observed and recorded a sudden step change in the meter readings but did not undertake any action at that stage. In July and August 2013, the Primary Client undertook validation and confirmation of the step change utilising a certified and calibrated utility level power analyser, installed on the Low Voltage feeder cables at the Primary Client’s transformer. Step Change Data recorded from the meter readings are shown in Table 2 below. Date

Note

Nov 2012

kWh reading

Rate (0.2676c/ kWh)

2,312,408

Dec 2012

Step Change

2,344,619

Jan 2013

Step Change

6,699

Feb 2013

10,744

$1,082.44

Mar 2013

16,635

$1,576.43

Apr 2013

22,489

$1,566.53

May 2013

31,442

$2,395.82

Jun 2013

38,248

$1,821.28

Jul 16, 2013

Start Validation

Jul 2013 Aug 14, 2013

41,183 45,589

Finish Validation

To determine what the correct kWh consumption would be, the error correction factor of 7.522783 (from the Power Analyser) is calculated into the Step Change Data meter readings; the error corrected readings are shown in Table 3 below. Date

Note

Jan 2013

Unable to determine corrected kWh

Feb 2013

30,429

$8,142.97

Mar 2013

44,316

$11,859.15

Apr 2013

44,038

$11,784.66

May 2013

67,351

$18,023.25

Jun 2013

51,200

$13,701.13

Jul 16, 2013

$1,964.45

49,318

Table 2: Original Meter Readings

During the 30 day validation period, Organisation XYZ’s Site Main Switchboard indicated 8,135kWh was consumed whereas the Power Analyser indicated 61,197kWh had been consumed (as shown in the Screen Shot 1 opposite), indicating an error factor of 7.522783 in the meter readings. This error has been in operation since the recorded data step change in December 2012/January 2013.

Start Validation

Jul 2013 Aug 14, 2013

Incorrect dollar total used for revenue recovery $10,406.95

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Screen shot 1

Error corrected kWh reading

41,183 55,224

Finish Validation

Rate (0.2676c/ kWh)

$14,778.14

61,197

Total

$78,289.30

Lost revenue dollar for period Feb to Jul 2013

$67,882.35

Table 3: Error Corrected Meter Readings

Investigation of the fault found Organisation XYZ’s internal electricians had noticed a failure of the main meter display back in December 2012. They attempted to rectify the situation by disconnecting the secondary cables from the main meter and removing the faulty meter. Coincidentally, a spare (and albeit) identical meter was available (named Spare KWH Meter 200:5) in the bank of meters (shown in Photo 1 below). This spare meter was installed in place of the Main Meter. The fault was considered

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

Photo 1: Organisation XYZ’s Bank of meters located at the Main Switchboard

Further investigation of the fault found Organisation XYZ had, in 2009, installed a Socomec Countis ATv2 Class 1 kWh meter with their switchboard as shown in Photo 2 below. This class of meter however, should only be used for internal metering activities and not for revenue recovery. The meter was also found to be coupled with Class 1 Current Transformers (shown in Photo 2 below).

Photo 1: Socomec Countis meter

Photo 2: Class 1 Current Transformers

Further review and validation of the data revealed a repeatable error of 1.003038% lower meter reading (compared to the Power Analyser) across all readings in the Class 1 meter. The small read window from Jan-Aug 2013, shows a revenue loss of $473.49 attributable to the Class 1 meter. The meter and CT error has been in effect since installation, in early 2009. Based on current consumption the loss of revenue for using the incorrect meter and CTs, would amount to approximately $18,000. The most effective way of determining accurate consumption is to remove the Socomec Countis ATv2 Class 1 meter from use as a primary revenue meter and install 0.5s NMI M 6-1 kWh meters and appropriately Classed 0.5s current transformers within a new enclosure mounted at the primary client’s Transformer.


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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Condensing boilers

Tips for trouble-free operation and long service life IAN STEWART I A.G. COOMBS ADVISORY PTY LTD

Condensing water heaters or boilers are now commonly specified for their higher efficiency, both for new installations and as plant replacements. However, their design, installation and operation need to be carefully considered for trouble-free operation and to ensure the expected service life.

C

ondensing boilers achieve higher efficiency by using the waste heat in flue gases to pre-heat the water entering the boiler. In doing this they also emit significantly less Carbon Monoxide and Sulphur Dioxide than comparable atmospheric boilers. Typical efficiencies of 90%+ are achieved compared with 70 – 80% for conventional heaters. Heat is recovered using extra large heat exchangers within the boiler; these maximise heat transfer from the burner and recover useful heat which would normally be lost with the flue gases. Gas usage reductions of 15 – 30% are possible compared to standard type water heaters. The following tips have been compiled based on experience in selecting, installing and maintaining condensing water heaters. Design and Unit Selection: Heat exchangers are a critical component of a condensing heater. Aluminium is a common choice of material, however, care should be taken to ensure that the heating hot water treatment regimen is compatible. Stainless steel heat exchangers should be specified where possible. Some heaters feature multiple burners and multiple heat exchangers. Whilst this provides redundancy, it should be noted that if any part of the interconnected heat exchanger assembly fails, the entire heater is inoperable. Also the additional cost involved in maintaining a multi-burner heater should be taken into consideration at selection stage. Heating hot water system temperatures are frequently lowered in an attempt to lower energy consumption. Existing systems are often not designed to operate at lower temperatures and care must be taken with this initiative to avoid unwanted outcomes. It is important to check that the proposed heater is capable of operating properly at the lower condition. Installation: Condensing heater flue gases are acidic with a typical pH range between 3.5 and 6. They are also relatively low temperature (30-50ºC) and, as such, pluming can be a problem as the gases do not have the natural buoyancy of

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THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

higher temperature flue emissions. This creates a corrosion concern, and so flue construction and location are particularly important. Flues should be constructed from stainless steel, aluminium or plastic, ideally using a kit provided by the heater manufacturer. These should be designed and located to minimise corrosion risk from pluming e.g. extended to free air and away from potential cool condensing surfaces. Ideally flue joints should be male/female, with the male component downward to facilitate condensate drain down inside the flue to the heater catchment and then to drain rather than leaking. Standard jointed spiral duct should not be used. Conventional gas flue terminal ends, even in stainless steel, are not suitable for condensing units, as condensation tends to occur on the outer ring which drips off causing corrosion. Open ended (reverse cone) or manufacturer terminal units should be used; manufacturer units normally direct condensate into the flue.


TECHNICAL PAPERS

In general, the heater manufacturer’s installation, maintenance and operating instructions should be closely adhered to and all relevant regulatory requirements complied with.

A drain line is required for condensate produced during operation. A condensate neutralising trap should be installed in this line to treat the corrosive condensate before discharge to drain. Preferred units are plastic enclosures with a medium of marble or limestone granules. Ideally, there should be a downstream sampling point for testing the pH of the discharge and the unit needs to be accessible for servicing. Drains should be in plastic to the point of connection of the neutralising unit. Leakage should be avoided as corrosive damage to metal roofs and concrete floors can occur quickly. Maintenance: The ‘dry’ combustion side of the heat exchanger requires oxidised deposits to be brushed off and then cleaned away. If this is not regularly carried out, deposits will block the neutralising trap and cause condensate build up in the heater. This will ultimately result in ignition failure (nuisance tripping) and corrosion of the unit. On the ‘water side’ of the heat exchanger, the water treatment regime should comply with the manufacturer’s specification and typically result in the maintenance of a neutral pH. Excessive alkalinity is a threat to aluminium heat exchangers and will result in pin-hole failures that will render the heater inoperable.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Energy management and HVAC optimisation in Hospital ANWAR AHMED B SC ENG., BE, M ENG. SC, ME (HONS) I CHARTERED ENGINEER, MAIRAH PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT, ENMAN PTY LTD

A. ABSTRACT

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nergy is a significant cost to Hospital operation and is the second biggest cost to hospital. Energy saving is always welcomed so long as it stacks up against the economic justification. Heating ventilation and airconditioning, commonly abbreviated as HVAC is the foremost energy user in the Hospital building especially for medium to larger hospitals which is followed by lighting system. The end use of energy in a typical hospitals is shown in the following pie chart. As the hospitals operate continuously 24/7 its energy use is similar to hotels. I The technology of energy saving has been changed very much during recent years, which is the use of variable speed drive together with advance control and LED lamps. Replacing the conventional lamp by LED lamps is a no brainer and should be considered sooner than later. HVAC systems in a hospital can use more than 50% of the hospital’s electrical energy consumption. Today’s state of the art, cutting edge technology can substantially reduce energy use by 50% to 60% of the HVAC system.

explore the energy saving opportunity of the HVAC system in Hospitals. These savings are now so real that the suppliers are willing to provide guarantees on their estimated saving targets. The major energy use in a HVAC system in a hospital is by; • Chiller System: This is one of the primary energy consumers in a HVAC system. Around 15% to 25% of the hospital’s electrical energy use is common for a medium to large hospitals. This can consume substantially more when using an alternative air cooled DX system. • Pumps: Pumps are used for the chilled water system (CHWS) and heating hot water system (HHWS) and is a substantial energy user. Around 10% to 15% of the hotel electricity use is very common. These pumps are: - Chilled water pumps - Condenser water pumps - Heating hot water pumps • Fans: Fans are extensively used in hotels for air-conditioning and ventilation systems, consuming 15% to 30% of electricity. These fans are: - AHU and FCU - Carpark ventilation - Toilet exhaust - Kitchen exhaust

B. ENERGY SAVING TECHNOLOGY It is now possible to reduce overall energy cost of the hospital by 25% with excellent payback time. This article is to

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1. Plant Equipment Upgrade Chiller upgrade: The technology of chillers has significantly improved with the introduction of VSD control and the

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

use of magnetic bearings. Also as the older refrigerants are environmentally unfriendly and currently being phased out, the chillers now use a more environmental friendly refrigerant. The old conventional Chillers behave and operate very differently than the modern chillers with VSD. The overall efficiency can improve more than 250% over the conventional design. The other benefit of modern chillers is the capability of running the chiller at a very low load condition, usually less than 10% of the chiller capacity, whilst maintaining good energy performance. This also eliminates the need of maintaining a small chiller to provide winter or low load cooling to the hotel. Chillers are normally replaced when they finish their lifecycle, however they can also be replaced for energy efficiency improvement, and providing a more environmentally friendly refrigerant. The return on investment based on energy saving only is well over seven years which is normally considered uneconomical. If the chiller is to be replaced for other reasons then it is recommended to replace it with an energy efficient chiller which will be more expensive than the conventional chiller. The return on investment of utilising an energy efficient chiller with VSD compared with that of a conventional chiller is very attractive and is normally less than two years. Hot water boiler upgrade: as the hot water boilers uses a substantial energy it should be considered to replace conventional hot water boilers with modular condensing boilers. Although this can improve energy efficiency by as


TECHNICAL PAPERS high as 30% but its economic viability is still not attractive. Boilers are normally upgraded if it is required for other reasons such as reliability of operation. 2. Control System Upgrade BMS: A building management system (BMS) is essential to provide effective comfort level, maintenance of HVAC equipment, and energy efficiency of the hospital. Significant energy savings can be achieved by introducing a full blown BMS. Possible energy savings are in the order of 6 to 12 % of overall energy use of the hotel. EMS: An energy management control system (EMS) will provide advanced and optimal control of the HVAC system, incorporating the use of VSD, primarily to save energy. The prerequisite of an EMS is to have a good BMS which can incorporate advanced control,

monitoring, and a reporting facility. The functions of an EMS include;

- Provide necessary display to tune and monitor the control system

• Chiller Optimal Control – This is to optimise chiller operation to reduce energy usage and run hours of the chillers. The energy management functions of this CHW system optimal control are as follows;

- Chiller KPI (Key Performance Index) – Power usage per unit of cooling load against target estimated on weather condition

ptimal chilled water temperature -O reset for energy performance -O ptimal condenser water temperature reset for energy performance -O ptimal cooling tower fan speed control for energy performance -O ptimal condensing pressure control for air-cooled and evaporative condenser models -O ptimal chiller selection, optimal start/stop and optimal loading of chiller to improve chiller energy performance -M odel based chiller interlocking for energy performance

Enman’s services • Energy audit/NABERS • Project engineering and management for major projects including turnkey supply for: - Chiller system upgrade - Boiler system upgrade - Control system upgrade BMS/HEMS - Variable speed drive, control and optimisation - HVAC Upgrade - LED lamps - Room management system - Co/Tri generation • Assist in government subsidies and funding • Assist in carbon trading

-C hiller plant daily and monthly energy usage - Optimal variable volume pump speed control for energy performance • Boiler Control Optimisation. The energy management functions of the HHWS control include; - Boiler selection - Hot water temperature reset ptimal variable volume pump speed -O control for energy performance • HVAC Optimisation and Control. The functionality of the control includes; - Demand based ventilation in oC onditioned area: Monitor CO2 to control fresh air to the space with fan VSD

Enman’s promise: Energy reduction up to 50% depending upon current energy efficiency Benefit: Energy Management System • A higher Energy Saving up to 25% from the conventional control reducing your carbon footprint further • Demand reduction Enman’s product Energy management system (EMS) is the ultimate control, monitoring, reporting and housekeeping to reduce energy consumption of your building facility incorporating Enman’s cutting edge technology. Features • Chiller optimal control and performance monitoring • Advanced optimal control of variable speed drives for all pumps, fans, plant and equipment • Advanced HVAC Control • Demand management and control • Energy performance

Phone: 03 9877 2266 • Website: www.enman.com.au THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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• Demand management and control with daily and monthly energy (Electricity) usage and peak demand of the day and month 3. Field Equipment Upgrade As the hospital is ageing, not only the major plant equipment is required to be replaced, the control valves and dampers should be replaced as well. As control valves get older they can begin to leak or seize – creating the unwanted and inefficient situation of simultaneous heating and cooling whilst attempting to maintain the comfort level of the room. It is sometimes difficult to diagnose whether the valves are faulty or not. It is recommended to change all the control valves as the life cycle is finished. The payback time of replacing all valves is very short and economically viable, generally well within three years. Temperature sensors as they finish their life cycle or are faulty should also be replaced. Otherwise they not only become a source of inefficient operation of the HVAC system, but also do not maintain desired comfort level of the space.

C. CASE STUDIES The Enman EMS has been installed in many hotels, Commercial buildings, Shopping centres and industrial buildings who have enjoyed the benefit of the system, including the following;

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D. CONCLUSION

• Marriott hotel Energy savings: 25% of electricity use Demand reduction: over 20%

It is possible to improve energy efficiency of the hospital HVAC system by up to 60% with reasonably good payback time of up to 6 years.

• 440 Elizabeth Street Office building Melbourne Energy Saving: 40%

The longest term economic benefit is always from major equipment upgrade such as chillers and boilers.

• Kings Technology Park office buildings Energy savings from energy management system, HVAC upgrade and optimisation are -1 00 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne Energy Saving: 43% -8 0 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne Energy Saving: 31% 11 Coventry Street, South -1 Melbourne Energy Saving: 43%

-9 9 Coventry Street, South Melbourne Energy Saving: 31% • Target Shopping store Energy savings: 22.3% • Northcote shopping centre, energy management system, HVAC upgrade and optimisation around – 44% Demand reduction: 16% • There are many other hotels, office buildings and shopping centres who have enjoyed the benefit of energy cost reduction through HVAC upgrade and optimisation. The benefit and technology for energy management and HVSAC optimisation in Hospitals is identical to hotels because of similarity in operation and is expected to save 20%to 25% of energy cost with attractive economic payback time

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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-U se of VSD on AHU and FCU fans, car park ventilation fans, and toilet/ kitchen exhaust fans

• Sheraton hotel Energy savings: over 22% of electricity use Demand reduction: over 10%

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• Holiday Inn Energy savings: 23% of electricity use Demand reduction: over 20%

through energy management and HVAC optimisation. No hospital case study has been provided as the system is not very common in hospital. Therefore other similar case studies has been provided as the savings and functionality are very similar.

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oE xhaust fans: Control exhaust fan speed based on demand with fan VSD

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• Mercure hotel Energy savings: 25% of electricity use Demand reduction: over 10%

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oC ar Park area: Monitor CO to control fresh air for ventilation with fan VSD

- Economy cycle: Use of fresh air to cool the space with fan VSD

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The economic benefit from installing a BMS and EMS is much more favourable, with payback time usually within two to three years. It is important to replace old and faulty control valves and dampers which is as important as to upgrade/install a BMS and EMS.

The typical energy saving through HVAC optimisation and an energy management system in a medium to large hospital is expected to be 20% to 25% of hospital’s total energy cost. The return on investment is normally two to three years which is attractive and economically viable. However the biggest challenge to public hospitals is getting fund from the government to implement major energy efficiency projects. Enman has been developing and working on the HVAC optimisation and energy management control system for well over 30 years. During this time a large number of such projects have been implemented for hotels, shopping centres, and commercial and industrial buildings.


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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Risk-based fire safety approach for retrofit projects ALISTAIR MORRISON, ASSOCIATE AT ARUP I ROB FLEURY, FIRE ENGINEER AT ARUP

In this article the authors discuss issues surrounding fire risk in existing healthcare buildings and look at a highlight a recent project example of the risk ranking process applied to a portfolio of nursing homes in Australia.

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ow well do we really understand fire risks in existing healthcare buildings and what can be achieved with that information?

Most experienced facility managers have a good understanding of the fire safety issues for their portfolio of properties, and no doubt a large percentage of these issues would concern day to day operations such as unwanted alarms, staff training and maintenance. This knowledge is built up through daily operations and input from colleagues and sub-contractors. In addition, a process of ongoing fire risk assessment may be undertaken, which, as a result of the process, can provide a significant body of information and issue to be reviewed, documented and addressed, either through management changes, maintenance or capital expenditure across a building or portfolio.

There are an ever increasing number of fire safety risks to manage and address and the challenge can be where to start or how to know which of these issues demands your earliest attention. In the UK, this process is a statutory requirement, supported by documents such as the UK Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 05-03 which provides detailed guidance for a process of hazard identification and assessment and mitigation using hierarchy of control and the ALARP (As Low as Reasonably Practicable) process. Furthermore, a simplified matrix for evaluating the level of risk on a Negligible to Extreme rating (Figure 1) is used to broadly assess the overall risk and help prioritise. Where there is a large number of ageing assets or issues for a single building, this tool may not help to provide the clarity needed to prioritise improvements or evaluate the cost benefit.

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Figure 1: Extract from HTM 05-03 Part K.

Consequently, there are an ever increasing number of fire safety risks to manage and address and the challenge can be where to start or how to know which of these issues demands your earliest attention. In countries such as Australia, the individual States each develop their own approach, from maintaining existing systems, to detailed audit and fire risk assessment processes used in Victoria with their Capital Development Program or in New South Wales (NSW) with their Health Guidelines PD2012_024, which use an Audit process. Both of these examples use the current codes as a basis for the Audit. NSW adopts a more rigid approach to non compliances which must be assessed by a fire engineer (if it cannot be made to comply). Whereas Victoria allows a process of risk assessment against the guidelines in certain circumstances with the combined experience of an accredited fire engineer and building inspector providing a robust and detailed assessment of fire risks.

RISK ASSESSMENT The advantages of the risk assessment process are that it provides for a more flexible assessment of risk, enabling the


TECHNICAL PAPERS individual circumstances to be considered and appropriate solutions developed. A more absolute comparison against current codes for older buildings can result in substantial works or a fire engineered solution which may never achieve a suitable outcome when assessed against the overarching performance requirements of the current code. Both processes can, however, provide a long list of defective issues and for those key decision makers, difficulty in understanding the information presented to them. Therefore, with ever increasing competition for funding from risks such as hospital acquired infection, which present an increased likelihood of occurrence with immediate and realised consequences, ensuring that money is being spent on the highest risk priority and achieving the greatest reduction in fire risk for the investment is imperative. These fire risk assessment methods alone may not provide the necessary clarity for high level business decision making to assign capital budgets, and make strategic decisions on the portfolio of properties. For example, having 20 departments or buildings all sitting at medium or high risk does not help with assigning or prioritising improvements. In order to help in this regard competent consultants may be of assistance through provision of a rationale or subjective assessment of the priorities in varying ways, some of which may have a limited scope of application and only assess one improvement measure against the next, with little consideration for the inherent level of safety of one building to another. Having a clear and consistent methodology to assist in this process can often be of significant benefit. One such mechanism is a fire risk ranking process.

QUAKERS HILL FIRE In November 2011, a fire at the Quakers Hill Nursing Home in Australia, directly led to the death of 11 elderly residents. The operator, while dealing with the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, instigated a review of fire safety across their national portfolio of properties. The review, headed by the company’s CEO, recognised a need to understand the

Figure 2: Example of safety factors.

level of fire safety and make effective and timely decisions to improve fire safety where required. Arup was subsequently appointed to undertake a detailed fire safety assessment of a representative sample of the operator’s 58 aged care facilities around Australia.

In November 2011, a fire at the Quakers Hill Nursing Home in Australia, directly led to the death of 11 elderly residents. The audit involved visual inspections, witnessing testing of active fire safety systems and discussions with the facilities management teams. From these initial audits, some high level ‘quick wins’ were identified that could improve fire safety across the portfolio. These were seen to be realistic actions that could be taken that would provide a direct benefit to the safety of the vulnerable population within these facilities. While the operator set about implementing the quick wins, the team developed a Fire Risk Assessment Tool for aged care facilities, utilising the principles of the National Fire Protection Association’s Life Safety Code NFPA 101A, which is primarily developed for healthcare building.1

The methodology described in the NFPA documents was adapted to be specific for aged care facilities in Australia. This included expanding the assessment to include other aspects of fire safety not covered by the NFPA’s simplified approach to include code compliant aspects required in new aged care buildings built to the Australian Building Codes as well as to include items such as occupant behaviour and management factors, fire training and emergency response procedures – all factors that contribute to the fire safety strategy for a building, and provide greater resolution in the assessment. Development of the tool drew on collective experience in fire safety engineering and risk assessments within the firm’s global team, as well as a wider range of literature and statistical data on fire safety in aged care facilities. The basis of the tool had been developed years earlier with input from Building Code Advisors and Melbourne Fire Brigade using a group workshop process to evaluate and score the relative benefit of fire safety measures resulting in a level of robustness and integrity through a consensus of experienced stakeholders. Following inspections of the remainder of the portfolio of properties, the user of the tool (an experienced fire safety professional) would enter specific information regarding fire risk factors of

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Figure 3: Example of outputs of KPIs for compliance.

the building or assessment area. Such factors would include: the number of levels with direct egress to outside; the number of occupants and their mobility; staff numbers to assist in egress; exit paths; and location of local fire service. Each of these factors have varying risk scores which, when selected, combined to provide a risk score for the building or assessment area.

The methodology described in the NFPA documents was adapted to be specific for aged care facilities in Australia. Following this, a larger list of fire safety measures and management processes were incorporated into the tool, to contribute to the overall safety score. Categories included active fire safety measures, such as sprinklers, smoke detection systems, occupant warning systems; passive fire safety measures such as the presence and quality of fire and smoke compartmentation; egress provisions, management procedures and policies, staff numbers, fire brigade provisions and other factors related to the building design. Each input had a corresponding score, which was weighted depending on its relative importance to fire safety, and benchmarked against current code requirements. Consequently, a base line score for a compliant building of similar design was produced such that the existing buildings could be compared to compliant levels and to each other.

Figure 4:Comparison of properties or assessment areas.

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The scores for the fire safety measures contributed to one or more of the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for compliance: containment safety, extinguishment safety and people movement safety. Furthermore, a General Safety KPI gave an overall consideration of the fire risks present and the fire safety measures including aspects of the design outside the


TECHNICAL PAPERS Such a method can provide facility owners and operators with a valuable tool to help provide greater clarity to enable decision making based on clear priorities and cost-effectiveness as well as a way of demonstrating managed improvement over time.

REFERENCE 1. N ational Fire Protection Association, NFPA 101: Life Safety Code and NFPA 101A: Guide on Alternative Approaches to Life Safety.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Alistair Morrison

Figure 5: Relative benefit for improvement measures.

Building Code such as management and design that can help offset that risk. (Figure 3) This general safety score enabled all facilities to be ranked in order of overall fire risk level, providing the operator with a clear picture of which facilities were most deficient and in what specific areas they were lacking in fire safety. (Figure 4) This ranking can highlight trends and abnormalities as well as demonstrating the overall benefit of a program of upgrades. Costing information can be over-laid to provide a cost benefit component supporting funding decisions based on the most critical areas or where the biggest improvement will be realised for the smallest outlay.

KEY FEATURE OF TOOL Another key feature of the tool is the ability to measure the positive impact of improving the level of fire safety in a particular facility. (Figure 5) For example, if sprinklers are installed in Facility ‘X’ the general safety score doubles, or if the level of emergency evacuation training to staff is improved there is a 10% increase in the score. The operator can use these outputs to filter out the main fire safety issues, highlight the most vulnerable facilities and direct funds to the most critical areas. Additionally, the costs of the improvement can be compared to the benefit, helping to promote those properties that may not have the lowest level of safety but could receive a significant benefit for relatively little expenditure to achieve an acceptable level of safety.

Alistair Morrison is an associate at Arup with a BSc in Fire Science from The University of Leeds. He has over 12 years’ experience as a performancebased fire engineer, both in the UK and Australia, developing integrated fire strategies and fire risk assessments for a range of complex healthcare projects.

He has extensive experience in new and existing healthcare projects – from Trust advisory services for new PFI projects, to risk assessment services to determine the most cost-effective upgrade strategies. Most recently he was the lead fire engineer for the new Royal North Shore Hospital project, Sydney, Australia. Rob Fleury

Rob Fleury is a fire engineer with a draws Masters degree in fire engineering, coupled with experience in fire engineering consulting. His role involves developing integrated fire safety strategies and fire risk assessments for a range of projects including commercial, public entertainment, healthcare, education and residential. He has a keen interest in performance based smoke control systems, particularly for atria, occupant evacuation, risk engineering and developing sustainable solutions that compliment the general building design.

This article was first published in the 2015 issue of the IFHE Digest

In summary, there is probably no single method of fire risk assessment that will provide all necessary outcomes to achieve compliance and enable cost-effective decision making. However a fire risk ranking process used as part of a risk management framework can provide a valuable systematic process, based on fire safety engineering principles and statistics, to help manage and mitigate the fire risks in healthcare facilities. THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Succession planning and workforce development JOHN THATCHER I TRAINING DIRECTOR, EASTWOOD PARK

This article explores strategies for succession planning and workforce development, within the following key areas: Promoting healthcare engineering and estates management; attracting new talent; the complexity of designing career progression; developing existing staff; commissioning provision; new delivery models.

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ealthcare engineering and estate management are highly specialised and technical functions, delivered within healthcare facilities, either by inhouse resources or outsourced to specialist service providers. Worldwide the workforce is predominantly ageing and male, with recruitment and retention proving a challenge globally; partially due to limited awareness of engineering and estates career opportunities, as well as a lack of relevant technical skills held by young adults within the health sector. Dr Peter Jarritt, president of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) said: “The role of technology in the provision of healthcare is set to increase rapidly in all sectors from acute care to primary and social care. This will present a challenge to the engineering and technical workforce within this sector. It will require new skills as medical devices and computers become more integrated and patients take on more responsibility for their care. While the management of equipment throughout its life cycle is important, the need to provide services directly to the patient will also increase.” This situation is further compounded by the limited availability of specialised training and progressive career development opportunities, making succession planning and workforce development an issue for both employers and employees alike. Additionally, the European medical technology sector wants regulation consistency with the USA. This has been

proposed through Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnerships (TTIPs).1 This could have a significant impact globally on medical device compliance training. Within the UK, potential employees have little information concerning career opportunities within the field of healthcare engineering and estates management. This, coupled with a low uptake of maths and science subjects in secondary and tertiary education, particularly among females, is limiting the pool of potential new talent. In half of all state schools in the UK, there are no females studying Physics at A level. Perhaps as a consequence of this, just 8.7% of British engineers are female, according to the trade association Engineering UK. Compared with 30% in Latvia and 40% in China. According to Sir Richard Olver, chairman of BAE systems: “The UK has fewer engineers than anywhere else in Europe… on the world stage it is worse.”2 More needs to be done around articulating healthcare engineering as a key career route and encouraging uptake of science related qualifications. Sarah Sillars, OBE, CEO of Semta3 said: “We need to break out of the box and present the possibilities in an engaging and exciting manner. Young people are convinced that the subjects themselves are boring – even if they are good at them. Our job is to show the excitement and reward that a career in science and engineering can bring.”

The apprenticeship brand has been extended from educational levels 2 and 3 to include higher apprenticeships at levels 4, 5 and 6 and level 7 (Master’s Degree Level) apprenticeships are in development.

Appropriate resources and recruitment campaigns need to be designed to promote healthcare engineering and estates management jobs and to clearly articulate the longer-term career opportunities. These need to reach the potential pool of talent using the most appropriate medium for the required target group. The use of social media is a key platform in engaging young people and increasingly adults; an example being The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) in England, which uses social media as a key recruitment tool for both apprentices and employers. However, to successfully promote healthcare engineering and estate management as a career the sector needs to ensure that

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TECHNICAL PAPERS suitable career paths with appropriate training are available.

ATTRACTING NEW TALENT Attracting bright new talent to the sector is vital in developing engineers of the future and this can be achieved though apprenticeships and the recruitment of graduates. Apprenticeships, which contain knowledge and competence-based qualifications, prepare new entrants for a specific trade. In some countries, government funding is available to support their education. Over the last four years, the apprenticeship brand has been extended from educational levels 2 and 3 to include higher apprenticeships at levels 4, 5 and 6 and level 7 (Master’s Degree Level) apprenticeships are in development. (See Image 1)

More needs to be done around articulating healthcare engineering as a key career route and encouraging uptake of science related qualifications. Apprenticeships provide a real alternative to more traditional academic routes to professional engineering roles. Apprentices are normally employed and as such earn and learn as they work. Engineering apprenticeships covering at least two educational levels take around four years to complete. One apprenticeship, under development through the UK’s Modernising Scientific Careers programme, is linked to the new and emerging roles within the Clinical Biomedical Engineering Career Framework. It will provide for entry at apprentice level with progression through to Clinical Biomedical Engineer status. However, designing and delivering apprenticeship frameworks is a challenge when the number of participants is relatively low. The sector needs to support the development of suitable frameworks and not shoehorn healthcare apprentices into generic engineering programmes that do not develop the specialist skills and knowledge required.

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RECRUITING GRADUATES Another source of new talent is to recruit graduates into the healthcare and estates sector. Graduates will bring in-depth technical knowledge and important research skills to the workplace but in some cases may lack the practical application that an apprentice will acquire during training. To overcome this, organisations are looking to supplement academic study with opportunity for hands-on training. An example of this approach to new entrant training comes from Malaysia. Prior to attending university, many healthcare engineering students undertake the Advanced Diploma in Medical Engineering at a college in order to gain the relevant vocational knowledge and understanding, but in many cases these organisations lack the facilities for students to get ‘hands on’ training with actual medical equipment. To solve this, Eastwood Park was commissioned to bring this ‘hands on’ training through simulated work related learning environments to put their theoretical training into practice. Thirty employers were invited to see the students ‘in action’ and were so impressed they offered 12 students immediate employment.

DESIGNING CAREER PROGRESSION Before exploring training programmes for existing staff it is worth reflecting on the need to align career progression with complex job roles, relevant qualifications, professional bodies and trade organisations. Within this article there is a clear focus on ensuring that new entrants and existing staff receive the appropriate training and qualifications required to meet the organisation’s needs as well as those of the individual. We need career pathways for internationally recognised roles such as Competent Person, Authorised Person and Authorising Engineer. Within most countries these professional roles are normally linked to memberships of professional and regulatory bodies who have their own professional standards and membership criteria. These bodies may in turn relate to National Councils, such as the UK’s Engineering Council which sets the professional standards and requirements for professional registrations leading to Eng Tech, IEng and CEng (for engineer

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

technicians, Incorporated Technicians and Chartered Engineer Respectively). These statuses are recognised internationally by organisations such as the International Federation of Hospital Engineers (IFHE), which provides a global strategic forum for these disciplines.

The sector needs to develop clear strategies to ensure there is a well-equipped workforce that can support advances in technology and the demand for services. In order to create and articulate career development linked to organisational, regulatory requirement and sector needs for all stakeholders including employers, new entrants and the existing workforce, comprehensive career frameworks need to be designed for each role containing as a minimum the following key characteristic

DEVELOPING EXISTING STAFF Technical updating, familiarity with emerging technologies and developing a wider skill-base are all key areas that need to be addressed within the organisational and people development cycle, along with robust assessment of the application of the associated competencies. Much of this training is likely to be undertaken by equipment manufacturers and estates services organisations, as well as through Further and Higher Education development routes. An interesting example of ‘blended’ learning in this context, which mixes Higher Education with a vocational route is the UK’s Foundation Degree in Medical Technologies, where various healthcare engineering pathways are available. This programme enables full-time employees to also become full-time students by undertaking their studies in tandem with their job. They use a mix of work-based activities, on-line learning, work-based projects and weekend residential courses and assessment centres, held in a specialised healthcare engineering and estate management learning environment, to complete their studies. On achieving their level 5 Foundation Degree, these students can then progress on to a BSc Honours topup programme at the partner university.


TECHNICAL PAPERS in conjunction with their annual review of the organisations strategic development plan and workforce needs, generates the team’s annual training plan. Eastwood Park was commissioned by a leading hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to provide training to enable existing staff to achieve an academic qualification.

One example to demonstrate this route can be seen at the Medical Engineering Department at University Hospital Birmingham (UHB) UK. UHB has 32 operating theatres, 100 critical care beds and around 40,000 pieces of medical equipment on its asset register that need regular maintenance, testing and calibration. Over the past year it has had a 59.4% increase in the number of medical devices due to the hospital expanding. The Trust’s medical engineering manager currently has a team of 36, 50% of whom are nearing retirement. The manager and the head of technical service and construction actively recruit young talent into the organisation via apprenticeships. They also ensure that all staff have their competencies assessed through their annual appraisal system. This,

From new entrants undertaking a level 2 Apprenticeship, right up to the manager achieving her Level 7 Masters in Medical Technologies, the whole department is constantly updating and extending their skills across a range of disciplines. The manager is a fine example of lifelong learning and career progression as she started in what is now her own department as an apprentice over 22 years ago.

COMMISSION PROVISION Sourcing suitable training provision to meet the complexities already mentioned should not be taken lightly. Supply may be limited because of the investment training providers need to make in expensive medical equipment and the development of high quality resources for relatively low numbers of trainees.

However, organisations do have a number of options including: • Develop internal training opportunities to meet the needs and facilitate the required nationally accredited educational routes. • Outsource the whole requirement to external training providers. • Use a blended learning approach where employers work in partnership with an external accredited specialist educational provider to deliver some of the components with employers delivering others, such as mentoring or job shadowing. Whichever method or range of methods is used it is important to ensure that robust service level agreements are in place when outsourcing educational provision. In addition, it is critical to always implement robust quality assurance and evaluative processes to confirm that the actual training provided was effective. It is also important to work with training providers who are forward thinking and exploring new delivery models such as

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Structure of an effective framework.

TECHNICAL PAPERS BYOD (bring your own device) policies or using a flipped classroom.

PERCEIVED TRAINING ‘WANTED’ –V– TRAINING ACTUALLY NEEDED Eastwood Park, for example, was commissioned by a leading hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to provide training to enable existing staff to achieve an academic qualification. This training was commissioned to reduce the possibilities of non-compliance issues and ensure patient safety. An onsite, detailed training needs analysis identified that what was ‘wanted’ would essentially not provide what was ‘needed’. After presenting their findings to senior management within the hospital the Eastwood Park trainers proposed, and later delivered, the following phased development programme:

e-learning. Many universities and organisations such as Coursera are offering free MOOCs (massive open online course). With the internationalisation of healthcare regulations it may be possible in the future for professionals from across the globe to come together to study.

A defined career path that progresses through the educational levels is required to provide continuous professional development.

This clearly needs to relate to job roles and also be supported by appropriate qualifications. A defined career path that progresses through the educational levels is required to provide continuous professional development. These pathways need to have multiple routes for those who specialise in highly technical roles or are to become the managers of the future. Finally all of these components must be aligned with professional registration/membership and international recognition.

In April 2013 a MOOC in Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship attracted just over 36,000 students, of which nearly 14,000 have been active in the course so far, some way. There are 1,800 students posting in the discussion forum, in almost 750 threads so far.

REFERENCES

• Designed a training programme based on these updated policies and procedures that would also facilitate achieving the original academic qualification and an additional competence-based UK qualification.

CONCLUSION

1. As proposed in President Obama’s State of the Union Address 2013.

• Delivered the programme to the staff and supported them to achieve the desired performance outcomes and the two qualifications.

The promotion and use of apprenticeships must play an important part in bringing new talent into the industry. The sector needs to ensure that apprenticeship frameworks are fit for purpose and harness best practice from across the globe.

• Reviewed and rewrote/updated local policies and procedures.

• And, as part of the organisation’s succession planning, department supervisors were trained and qualified to support and assess their own technicians against the new policies and procedures and recognised standards of competence. This development programme has given them the skills base and on-going structure to drastically minimise future threats and to support new staff coming into the department.

NEW DELIVERY MODELS The sector also needs to beware of the developments in education that removes the barriers to providing training for existing staff, such as time away from the workplace and the high cost of developing training resources. This includes using technology to support mobile learning, social learning and

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The sector needs to develop clear strategies to ensure there is a well-equipped workforce that can support advances in technology and the demand for services.

Graduates are a vital source of exciting new talent, but we do need to support their introduction into the workplace. The training landscape is complex and designing suitable development programmes and career paths needs to done with internationalisation in mind. Finding and working with forward thinking providers must also be a priority. The challenges may be daunting but with a co-ordinated approach and by capturing best-practice the sector can develop coherent, internally recognised programmes that are vital to ensure we have a workforce of the future. The challenge is to design learning programmes that satisfy a wide range of needs. At the core is the individual and their requirement to have appropriate training.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

2. Quote extracted from Sunday Express July 14th 2013. 3. Semta is the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies within the UK.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Thatcher

John Thatcher is chief executive officer and training director at Eastwood Park, a specialist training centre focusing on healthcare engineering, facilities management and support services training and consultancy. Leading Eastwood Park for over 20 years he has been instrumental in developing the curriculum and global customer base. A qualified engineer, teacher and manager, he has a Master’s Degree in Education and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. He was awarded Honorary Membership of City & Guilds of London Institute for his work in qualification development and quality assurance. This article was first published in the 2014 issue of the IFHE Digest


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Not only do you get your poolside water testing done quickly and accurately, you now get your test results into a cloud-based platform. This means that the test results not only get into a central database, but you are also now able to get your work orders from the pool shop. And, now with Apple connectivity, you can easily work on a smartphone or tablet of your choice—Android or Apple iOS. Remember, you get to test nine different parameters of pool water quality in just 60 seconds. All done, without the hassle of crushing tables, washing test tubes, or other boring chores. A small pool sample is all you need. The laboratory-grade photometer does the rest. The upgraded DataMate Web is the new cloud-based system that does all the work. A unified platform means that the shop gets all your info and keeps a history of each swimming pool you service.

Vendart Pty Ltd p 02 9450 0466 l f 02 9450 0755 www.vendart.com.au THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

Cladding audits

Building surveyors in the spotlight DEREK HENDRY I THE HENDRY GROUP

A

UST- Various government agencies across Australia are continuing their ‘auditing’ of existing buildings and building under construction following a fire in the Lacrosse Tower in Docklands, Melbourne. A Metropolitan Fire Brigade report found that the fire once started spread quickly due to non-compliant use of aluminium composite panelling on the external walls of the building. A number of councils have and are lining up to embark on enforcement action. This is a timely reminder for hospital owners and hospital engineers to ensure before commissioning a building surveyor/building certifier to perform future tasks on your building that the building surveyor provides adequate assurance that they (or you) will not be affected on your proposed project because of the legal fall out that will follow this above mentioned auditing process by government agencies.

FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM AUST- Standards Australia has released a draft Standard relating to maintenance of fire protection systems for public comment, known as AS1851-2012 Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment, Amendment 1. The current published edition of this Standard is not referenced in the National Construction Code (Building Code of Australia). This standard can be used by the building surveyor/certifier for determining the maintenance requirements relating to Essential Safety Measures for the safety of persons in the event of a fire in those states requiring maintenance standards to be issued with the occupancy permit or building certificate. Interested parties are invited to provide feedback regarding this draft Standard

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to the Standards Australia Technical Committee. The initial purpose for the revision of AS1831-2012 was to review minor text amendments. There was however an unforeseen and immediate need to resolve issues with interpretations and inconsistencies of base line data to be provided on the building in the industry.

SAFETY MEASURE INSPECTIONS AND ANNUAL FIRE STANDARDS AUST- Hospital engineers must become aware of the latest developments in the presentation of fee quotations for essential safety measure inspections. Hendry is noticing that a number of providers of these services are reducing fees significantly for major hospitals by the insertion of a couple of words in the quote/quote acceptance form. Building legislation across Australia is specific for existing buildings relative to the required maintenance and inspection process for essential safety measures. Statutorily they obligate the owner (and occupier in the some states) to ensure full compliance with the regulations as well as the requirement for signing an ‘Annual Fire Safety Statement’. A number of providers in this area are nominating and performing random inspections only, ie every 3, 4 or 5th floor and only doing part of the floor. The defects list received by the hospital engineer is significantly reduced, thus less work for the engineer to follow up on defects. If this type of services is condoned by the hospital owner then it can have significant implications if a major incident occurs in the building relative to insurance payouts and subsequent authority investigations.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

Especially by accepting this offer the owner has agreed not to comply with the minimum standards specified in the regulations and statutory documents issued by a building surveyor.

PLANNING FOR EMERGENCIES IN HOSPITALS AUST- Hospital engineers (and building owners) must be aware of their and the facility owners obligations under AS3745-2010, Planning for emergencies in facilities. This standard nominates the building owner as the facility owner and includes managers, occupiers and employers in 12 separate parts within the body of the standard. Building owners and their agents (maybe hospital engineers being the occupier via lease agreements) should not ignore their responsibilities under AS3745-2010. The standard is very specific regarding the owners/managers obligations. Building owners under this standard will be called to account after an emergency to provide details of their compliance.

SEALING SERVICE PENETRATION IS CRITICAL AUST- Building owners, managers and hospital engineers who manage buildings with fire and smoke resistant structures must recognise that they play a critical part in building occupant fire safety. Essential safety measures regulations have recognised this fact by continuing to prescribe ongoing inspection and maintenance requirements. Pursuant to NCC (Building Code of Australia) hospitals mainly rely on fire and smoke resistant structures (along with active fire systems) to safeguard sleeping occupants and avoid the spread of fire through the building.


TECHNICAL PAPERS Substantial statutory penalties under most state regulations apply to building owners and occupiers that knowingly allow any inadequately sealed services penetrations or breaches in fire and smoke resisting structures to exist. Equally severe penalties exist for simply chocking open fire and smoke resisting doors in a fire isolated stairwell or passageway. To comply with the provision of the Regulations and AS1851-2005-Part 17, AS1851-2012 Part 12, all building service penetrations through fire and smoke resisting structures should be inspected regularly depending on the state. Where inadequately sealed services penetrations or breaches are found, they must be rectified in a prescribed time frame. Over the years, thousands of people have had to be evacuated from buildings, one in Melbourne and two in Queensland – a large hotel, a department store

ABOUT THE HENDRY GROUP Derek Hendry is the Founder of the HENDRY Group, a multi-disciplinary consultancy whose services include building surveying, disability access, essential safety measures, emergency planning and work health and safety. HENDRY pioneered the private certification system of building approvals in Australia and operates nationally in all facets of building control. HENDRY publications include an e-newsletter entitled ‘Essential Matters’, blog sites and BCA Illustrated to assist property practitioners. For more information, please visit www.hendry.com.au

and apartment building as a result of minor fires that caused undue fire/ smoke penetration through the buildings. Although there were no major personal injuries there was however considerable disruption to businesses, loss of revenue and some minor personal injuries. In Queensland fines may well be issued

to the owners of these buildings if their mandatory inspection records of the passive fire safety installations were found not to be up to date or there were breaches of the fire and smoke compartmentation in a building. The implications of these fires could have potentially been much worse.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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PRODUCT NEWS

Product News New Enware Aquablend 1500 with Thermal Flush As the leading brand of Thermostatic Mixing Valves in Australia, Enware has just released an upgrade of their NSW Health Approved Aquablend™ 1500 TMV. The Aquablend™ 1500 upgrade incorporates a significant new feature – a thermal flush facility – a major step forward in legionella control. The thermal flush allows the valve to pass hot water through the valve during critical decontamination/maintenance functions. The Aquablend™ 1500 valve will now be capable of being set at temperatures up to 50ºC and will function ‘as normal’ if the flush is not used. All approvals and compliance to standards are unchanged and an upgrade kit is available for existing Aquablend™ 1500 TMV’s. For more information contact Enware on 1300 ENWARE or go to www.enware/1500info

Transfield Services is now Broadspectrum Ahead of Transfield Services 60th year the Australian business has rebranded with a re-energised new look and name. Transfield Services has changed its name to Broadspectrum and the fresh identity better represents the company’s purpose, breadth and depth of the integrated asset management services provided. The new brand is not only cosmetic – Broadspectrum reflects the diversity of its people, solutions, services, capabilities, sectors, technologies and clients. Transfield Services was first established in Australia in 1956 and the logo was hand-drawn by one of the company’s founders, representing one of the company’s core services.

For over 20 years the company has provided engineering, consulting, facilities and asset management to the Health sector to optimise asset performance and reduce risk and cost. Coupled with Broadspectrum’s expertise in cleaning, catering, security and grounds maintenance clients are ensured of a hygienic, safe and productive environment. Broadspectrum is focused on optimising the performance, integrity and output of clients’ businesses and assets to deliver real business outcomes safely and responsibly. Please visit www.broadspectrum.com for more information

While the Transfield Services brand saw the company grow to be one of Australia’s largest and diverse companies, with more than 25,000 employees servicing over 200 clients across multiple sectors around the world, ‘Broadspectrum’ better demonstrates the company’s focus on delivering solutions through providing quality services.

Optical Solutions Australia OSA is Australia’s number one supplier of optical fibre based product solutions to the Communications Industry. Specialising in communications infrastructure, OSA provides an extensive range of passive and active products selected from world leading suppliers to meet our customer requirements. We have a unique ability to service customers and projects of all sizes and have been entrusted with design, supply and support services for some of Australia’s largest infrastructure and telecommunications projects covering a multitude of industries. Optical Solutions Australia Pty Ltd was formed in 2001 by a group of industry specialists.

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With locations covering all corners of Australia, our strengths lie in our staff whose experience covers a depth of technical knowledge and awareness of industry ever changing developments that puts OSA a step ahead of our competitors. Our approach has always been to offer complete end to end solutions, designing & building networks meeting both Australian and Global Standards while maintaining compliant vendor agnostic solutions across all levels. With our core business in fibre optics and networking we are heavily involved in FTTH (Fibre to the Home) solutions such as GPON. With our partners in this market sector, we have revolutionised the way mining camps

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

are deployed and serviced. With our award winning success in the mining camps we are now providing better solutions for other verticals, such as Aged Care, Gated Communities, Commercial High-rise, Hotels & Resorts, as well as Education and Health Care, providing services beyond triple play, including CCTV, Access Control, Intercom, DAS and BMS. For more information please call (07) 3399 5280 or visit www.opticalsolutions.com.au


TECHNICAL PAPERS

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL ENGINEER I DECEMBER 2015

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Spirax Sarco, the world’s leading steam system specialist, has combined modern technology with package design expertise to create a compact generator capable of producing clean steam to the highest quality standards. The microprocessor-controlled unit uses treated feedwater and plant steam to produce steriliser-grade clean steam. The standard range covers clean steam duties up to 600 kg / h at 3 bar g. The pre-assembled, skid-mounted package arrives factory tested and ready to be connected to your utilities.

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The preheat system heats and circulates the feedwater, ensuring the removal of soluble gases prior to entering the boiler

Spirax Sarco Pty Ltd Australia 14 Forge Street, Blacktown NSW 2148, Australia T +61 (2) 9852 3100 F +61 (2) 9852 3111 E info@au.SpiraxSarco.com Š Copyright 2015 Spirax Sarco is a registered trademark of Spirax-Sarco Limited


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