Infection Protection

Zack Hogan and John Kovalan took to the stage in late July to present at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Conference.

The presentation focused on the impact of construction on infection control and showing the audience how to watch for potential risks in a hospital setting.

Zack and John wowed the audience with O’Shea’s dedication to safety in infection control. Zack covered the many ways in which containments are set up from basic plastic sheets to using dry wall for a more permanent solution.

Other topics covered were air pressure monitoring, walk-off mats, and wet/dry mats. The site-specific safety plan and the healthcare construction plan that O’Shea has used on projects were also popular topics. Both Zack and John shared the knowledge they have learned from being on healthcare jobsites for many years.

Zack, who has been working at Memorial for more than five years, understands the importance of the construction industry being involved with infection control and safety planning. He said construction companies need to work closely with the hospital’s infection control to find what fits best with each facility in order to have a successful outcome.

“I love doing these presentations because it’s nice to know that people are interested in what we have to say. Each hospital has its own way of dealing with construction, so if we can give them any input on what we do or any pointers to take back to their facility, then we have done our job with the presentation,” Zack said.