Several addendum to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities are available for download and public comment.  

This draft is scheduled for a 45-day public review from Aug. 16 to Sept. 30:

  • BSR/ASHRAE/ASHE Addendum b to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities (second independent substantive change public review draft).

This proposed addendum removes several spaces from Table 7.1, 8.1 and 9.1 based on those spaces being adequately addressed in other standards. The addendum also proposes to modify minimum total air change requirements for several spaces based on the results of ASHRAE Joint Research Project RP CO-RP 3, Evidence Based Research Project: Literature Review for ASHRAE Standard 170-2013.

These drafts are scheduled for a 30-day public review from September 6, 2019 to October 6, 2019:

  • BSR/ASHRAE/ASHE Addendum g to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities (first public review draft).

This proposed addendum creates a more harmonious reference to ventilation requirements for those spaces located within a health care facility which are not explicitly specified within the three design parameter tables of the standard (Tables 7.1, 8.1, and 9.1). The new phrasing acknowledges that other space ventilation rate requirements likely exist in other codes or standards for those spaces not included in the design parameter tables and that these spaces may also be physically located within health care facilities. The addendum also adds the definitions of patient and resident that is aligned with the Facility Guidelines Institute Guidelines.

  • BSR/ASHRAE/ASHE Addendum i to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities (first public review draft).

This proposed addendum changes Section 6.6 to clarify requirements for water in humification systems.

These drafts are scheduled for a 45-day public review from September 6, 2019 to October 21, 2019:

  • BSR/ASHRAE/ASHE Addendum a to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities (first public review draft).

This proposed addendum clarifies filtration requirements on a space by space basis. The filtration levels designated, and their rational basis are included in Informative Appendix C, Table C-1. In brief, this proposed addendum: (1) revises requirements for filters in the body of the standard, removes Table 6.4, and adds filter efficiencies by space to Table 7-1, 8-1, and 9-1; (2) adds Informative Appendix C: Recommended Filter Efficiencies by Space Type.

  • BSR/ASHRAE/ASHE Addendum j to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities (first public review draft).

This proposed addendum  continues the process of reorganizing the standard into three components — hospital, outpatient, and residential health care and support in alignment with the Facility Guidelines Institute's Guidelines. The intent is not to create additional requirements for outpatient or residential facilities but to separate these from hospital requirements and thus eliminate confusion over which requirements apply to which occupancies. The result will be clarification of a lower level of requirements for outpatient and residential health facilities. Generally, the changes are: (1) incorporate Addendum ‘a’ updated filtration requirements; (2) revise the space name terminology, table organization, and subheadings.

  • BSR/ASHRAE/ASHE Addendum o to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities (second public review draft).

Infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies include risk assessment, identification of people receiving care who are at increased risk of infection due to procedures and therapy they are undergoing and aligns the environment of care to mitigate risks. IPC strategies also identify and segregates those with communicable disease to spatially separate them from others at risk. This can be done through engineering controls, but it can also be accomplished through operational/administrative controls. This experience is therefore basis for offering a risk-based approach to operation that departs from space requirements. For those health care providers that have the expertise to analyze, implement and document their specific ventilation requirements, this proposed addendum provides a voluntary risk-based approach to establish operational ventilation rates for spaces required in this standard.