wall on frame and manufactured wall systems for long- term contracts, says Simone. The use of air systems with HEPA filters, negative air and equal air pressure systems are part of the curriculum. Renovation projects are a “collaborative process” be- tween hospital administrations, their infection control staff and contractors,” explains Hafeez. When contractors are knowledgeable, it minimizes the time hospital infection control practitioners require to go through protocols. Infection control costs can be sizable in renovations of wings with high-infection risk patients, so it makes sense for contractors to know what infection control protocols are to build the costs into their budgets. Hafeez says plans are in the works to tear down Toronto East General wing by wing and build a new hospital over the coming years. “It’s very vital that infection control is in- volved because the smallest amount of dust can create various infections.” The infection control practitioner has worked in the field for about five years. Prior to Toronto East General, she worked at St. Michael’s Hospital and McKenzie Health. Over that period, she has seen a number of construction workers on site lacking proper personal protection equip- ment and workers tracking dust from the worksite to other areas of the hospital. The Canadian Standards Association provides a frame- work of infection control standards, consisting of various categories and it is up to the individual health care operator to determine what category to implement, says Simone, adding some hospitals set more rigorous infection control standards than others. It can be difficult to bid on contracts when each hospital or health care institute has different protocols for infection control, he says, adding a common standard would make it easier for contractors to accurately estimate infection control costs. He says the CSA recommends that contractors working in health care should be prequalified, including an assess- ment of the company’s policies, practices and training. “That’s where the ICRA program comes in.” The CSA’s recommendations may only be guidelines but Yorke points out that a number of U.S. hospitals only ac- cept tenders from employers with ICRA-certified workers. Could hospitals in Ontario head in the same direction? Architect Cornel Ionescu says contractors that prepare to meet the challenge of infection and prevention control will have a “significant competitive edge for healthcare work.” Ionescu, who was one of the speakers in the first ICRA class held at the IFSTC in Woodbridge, says hospital ad- ministrations face an “increasing level of public scrutiny re- garding healthcare services, performance and hospital construction, maintenance and operation costs. In all these areas, meeting infection prevention and control require- ments and preventing hospital acquired infections has a determinant role in measuring outcomes.” Ionescu is an architect and associate vice-president of HDR Architecture Inc., a leading healthcare design firm in the U.S. and Canada. Simone is one of three Toronto instructors of the ICRA course at the IFSTC. They were taught at the Carpenters International training centre in Las Vegas. “The Carpenters union down there has pretty much picked up the ball on training and it is being implemented in health care through- out the U.S.” As an employee of Kent-Leckie Flooring Ltd., Lawrence DiFranco was one of the students in the first three-day course held in Woodbridge. He sees the practical value – especially for any installers who haven’t worked in busy hospitals or long-term care centres. No stranger to working in busy hospitals and long-term care facilities with Kent-Leckie, DiFranco says health care providers “are very serious about infection control now so what you are taught in the course is very practical, helpful. Health care renovations are a totally different work envi- ronment than new construction sites.” BENCH STRENGTH * For over 40 years, we have specialized in representing trade unions and their members, as well as trustees of health, welfare and pension plans, in all areas of the law that impact them. We have 14 lawyers in total - seven of whom have over 20 years’ experience, plus a group of bright, hardworking (younger) lawyers. * “Bench strength” refers to the capabilities and readiness of potential successors to move into key professional and leadership positions. The term comes from baseball, for which it refers to a team’s lineup of highly skilled players who can step in when a player is hurt or replaced. (Bersin by Deloitte) CaleyWray Labour/Employment Lawyers 1600 – 65 Queen Street West Toronto ON M5H 2M5 Tel: 416-366-3763 Fax: 416-366-3293 www.caleywray.com The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Winter 2015 – 61