FGI Bulletin #13

Our Warmest Thanks

As we wrap up 2019, the FGI Board of Directors and staff would like to extend our warmest thanks to members of the 2022 Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC) and the wide range of subject matter experts (SMEs) and topic group members who have worked so tirelessly to advance the revision of the Guidelines for 2022.

We are fortunate to have the collective expertise, experience, and passion of our 136 HGRC members and 56 SMEs, without which the Guidelines would not be possible. For all you’ve done so far this cycle, and for the commitment you continue to show going forward, we thank you and sincerely look forward to our collaborative efforts in the coming year.

Special Thanks to Our Keystone Partner

Last Call for Comments on ASHRAE 170 Addendum L

ASHRAE released its proposed Addendum L to ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017: Ventilation for Health Care Facilities for public comment in October, and the December 22, 2019, deadline for submittal fast approaches. This addendum continues the process of reorganizing Standard 170 into three components—Hospital, Outpatient, and Residential Health, Care, and Support. This arrangement aligns with the three 2018 FGI Guidelines documents.

We encourage the FGI community to review and participate in the comment process. Instructions for submitting a comment to the ASHRAE online comment database are provided on the cover of the document. Visit https://osr.ashrae.org/ and search “Addendum L” for quick access.

Be Part of the Reimagining

Reimagining the OR, the fourth “reimagining” workshop for clinicians and designers, is presented by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and the Facility Guidelines Institute on March 26–27, 2020. in Anaheim, Calif. Leading clinicians and designers will assemble to  consider changes in operating room design that could improve patient outcomes and clinical operations. Organized by Mazzetti’s Sextant Foundation, Catalysis, and the AORN Foundation, this 1.5-day, hands-on workshop will convene just before the AORN Annual Conference & Expo.

FGI and BICSI Sign MOU

FGI is proud to announce it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI), a professional association of more than 26,000 members supporting the information and communications technology (ICT) community. The challenges facing the ICT community and health care organizations increasingly require programs and initiatives jointly developed by leading membership and standards organizations. Collaboration from these types of organizations, which draws upon the expertise of subject matter experts and their vendors, will promote best practices, spur technology innovation, and enhance the overall growth of the ICT and health care communities globally.

In addition to BICSI offering support and subject matter expertise on the future of ICT in health care, this new alliance will allow BICSI and FGI to benefit from cross-promotion of BICSI standards and the FGI Guidelines. FGI CEO Doug Erickson adds, “BICSI and FGI have similar beliefs regarding how the health care physical environment is designed and constructed. FGI looks forward to enhancing its Guidelines by partnering with BICSI to provide health care designers, owners, and enforcing authorities with information they need to design and evaluate quality ICT installations in patient and resident care environments.” More about BICSI can be found by visiting http://www.bicsi.org.

Your Errata Questions Answered Here

Have you ever wondered about errors in the Guidelines documents? FGI publishes an errata sheet for each FGI Guidelines publication found to have at least one error.

What are errata?

An erratum is an error in a published document. An errata sheet lists such errors and their corrections.

Where can I find the errata sheets for the FGI Guidelines documents?

On the FGI website: The current errata sheets for the 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions are posted in PDF form on the FGI website. The 2006 edition errata can be found here. Please check periodically to make sure you are using the most current errata sheet for the Guidelines edition you are using.

On the MADCAD platform: For those with digital subscriptions to the Guidelines, the downloadable PDFs of available errata sheets are listed beneath the edition titles in the eLibrary in your MADCAD account. As well, the errors and their corrections are cited in yellow at the location of the error in the electronic text. The images below show what you will see in MADCAD.

How often are the errata sheets updated?

Errata sheets are updated continually, whenever an error is found. The sheets are dated to help users know if they have the current version.

Are these corrected errors considered part of the enforceable language in the Guidelines?

Errata are errors in the printed document, created either during the publication process (editing, layout, proofreading) or during development of the document by the Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC). In the latter case, this may be because a conflict with another part of the text was overlooked or because the text is not clear and it needs to be rewritten to make it easier to apply. Because errata are errors in the Guidelines and not amendments, the developers of the Guidelines consider the errata official language that should be enforced when the Guidelines documents are adopted.

What should I do if I find an error in the Guidelines?

Please contact the FGI editorial staff here. We will follow up with HGRC members and get back to you.