1. Jul 1999
00:00
27. Jun 2004
19:19
Risk and vulnerability analyses
St Olavs Hospital has stressed that the hospital development project must not affect the quality of emergency treatment or the total delivery of other services at any stage.
To take care of health, safety and environment issues during demolition and construction, multidisciplinary teams will conduct risk and vulnerability (ROS) analyses.
Before each building project starts, hospital and university experts will work together with risk management consultants and civil engineers to produce a systematic survey of everything that could go wrong.
The analyses will focus on how demolition and construction could affect patients, staff, and visitors as well as neighbouring residential areas and businesses. The reports will specify areas where preventive measures are necessary.
For example, the analysis team for the radiotherapy extension included staff from the radiology, radiotherapy, and laboratory services, among others. The team examined the following aspects:
- Safety in connection with construction site conditions: accident risks, fire precautions, evacuation plans, security guards and security zones.
- Noise disturbance to patients and staff.
- Electronic interference from communications equipment.
- Implications of dust for ventilation and cleaning.
- Effects of vibration on equipment and patients.
- Planning for loss or reduction of electrical power, water supplies, telecommunications or computer services.
- Access, traffic and parking.
- Providing for information exchange between the building contractors and the Department of Oncology.
- Disaster management
Preventive measures that were identified include:
- Plans to ensure uninterrupted ventilation for the linear accelerator, simulator, X-ray and laboratory equipment.
- Restrictions on the use of communications equipment on the building site to minimize the risks to medical equipment.
- Plans for active communication between the project management, the building contractors and hospital staff.
- Review of evacuation procedures.
- Introductory course in health, safety and environment (HSE) for all construction workers.
- Precautions to prevent radiation hazards.
- Increased lighting and plants in patient areas where building operations would obscure the view.
