Providing for Humidity Control Events in Perioperative Care Areas

From eSociety, March 2019

ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.6, Healthcare Facilities, has released a white paper, “Humidity Control Events in Perioperative Care Areas,” that addresses what to do when the relative humidity in perioperative care area is not within the desired range.

At certain conditions, the RH in an operating room will drift outside the established facility RH range. This paper suggests protocols to follow in those situations, which are best agreed upon in advance to avoid the need for decision making during stressful situations. Primary consideration must be for the safety of patients.

The paper is a free download in the “Amendments and Errata” section of the ASHRAE bookstore for the book HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics, Second Edition.