Preconstruction Risk Assessment

How do you handle the preconstruction risk assessment (PCRA) and infection control risk assessment (ICRA)? The Joint Commission provides eight steps to help you think through and manage the process.

Preconstruction Risk Assessment Steps

Here are the steps they recommend you follow:

1. Describe the project work in detail so that you can begin to evaluate the risks
2. Identify the areas surrounding the project. This allows you to uncover affected areas and assess the risk
3. Pinpoint the construction activity type. This might range from inspection only to a minor or major undertaking. This will allow you to better identify the potential hazards
4. Identify the infection prevention and control activities that should be present
5. Single out the other issues or impacts beyond infection prevention, including noise
6. Identify the mitigation measures you will use to prevent the risks identified in step 5
7. Complete ILSM assessment and choose enhanced safety measures as appropriate
8. Monitor the project on an ongoing basis

While this sounds simple, we often see steps skipped or neglected. For example, for step 5, we often see issues other than infection prevention missed.

Further, step 6 is often missed either by itself or in addition to step 5. One example is when the surveyor arrives in the NICU to the sound of jack hammering in an adjacent space. This makes basic conversation and more importantly patient care difficult.

Step 8 is another one that is often missed or falls apart during the construction project. If you say you are going to conduct regular inspections and abate noise, dust or construction debris, then you must adhere to your plan.

Share this article with your facilities and infection prevention teams and administrative leaders who perform unit rounding. As a result, this will allow everyone to better prepare and identify developing problems.

Patton Healthcare Consulting

Patton Healthcare Consulting provides Joint Commission and CMS Compliance Assistance and a full range of pre-survey and post survey services.

We serve more than 200 hospitals, behavioral health care organizations, ambulatory clinics and home care companies nationwide—hospitals ranging from critical access hospitals to the largest health systems. Contact us at (888) PHC-INC1 for more information.