ICRA Infection Control — H-Class Extraction for Healthcare Construction | V-TUF

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ICRA — Infection Control Risk Assessment for Healthcare Construction and Refurbishment

Any construction, maintenance or refurbishment work inside or adjacent to an occupied healthcare facility generates dust and biological particulate that can cause serious harm to immunocompromised patients. Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) is the framework that classifies the risk and determines the engineering controls — including dust extraction and air management — required before work can begin.

H-Class extraction with H14 HEPA filtration is the specification for dust extraction in Class III and Class IV ICRA environments. An air scrubber creating negative pressure in the work zone is the specification for ambient air management. Both are required simultaneously in the highest-risk environments.

What is ICRA?

Infection Control Risk Assessment is a structured process used in healthcare facilities to assess the risk that construction and maintenance activities pose to patients and staff. It classifies both the work activity and the patient population to determine the level of precautions required. ICRA is required by NHS England and NHS Estates guidance and by the Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) series. Contractors working inside NHS facilities without an ICRA in place are in breach of their duty of care and their contract conditions.

ICRA classes and the dust extraction specification

ICRA Class Work type Patient risk Dust extraction specification
Class I Inspection, non-invasive Low Standard precautions
Class II Small scale, short duration Medium HEPA vacuum for debris. Contain area.
Class III Moderate to large scale Medium-high H-Class HEPA extraction. Negative pressure with air scrubber.
Class IV Major demolition and construction High — immunocompromised patients H-Class HEPA extraction. Sealed containment. Continuous negative pressure air scrubbing.

Why H-Class and not M-Class?

Healthcare environments require H-Class — not M-Class — for two reasons. First, construction dust in a healthcare setting includes biological particulate from disturbed surfaces, HVAC systems and ceiling voids that may carry Aspergillus and other fungal spores. These are biological hazards — H-Class is the COSHH engineering control for biological agents. M-Class passes biological particulate through its filter and exhausts it back into the clinical environment.

Second, immunocompromised patients in Class III and IV environments face potentially fatal consequences from Aspergillus inhalation. The engineering control must match the severity of the consequence.

Negative pressure and air scrubbing

Negative pressure containment prevents contaminated air from the work zone migrating to adjacent clinical areas. An AEROMAX air scrubber connected to ductwork venting to outside creates negative pressure — air flows into the work zone rather than out of it. In Class IV environments the air scrubber must run continuously — Aspergillus spores disturbed during a shift remain airborne for hours after work stops.

H-Class extraction — the V-TUF ICRA specification

MIDI H 240V H-Class → 21L, 1250W with filter shaker. Compact ICRA specification for smaller healthcare works.
MIDI H 110V H-Class → 21L site-safe. For construction site hospital refurbishments where 110V is mandated.
GRINDEX1100LPS 240V → 25L H-Class, Longopac sealed bagging. No filter exposure during emptying. Sustained remediation specification.
GRINDEX1200LPS 240V → Twin-motor H-Class 240V. For larger-scale healthcare construction and refurbishment.
MAXi 50L H-Class 240V → 50L large capacity H-Class for major healthcare refurbishment programmes.
MAXi 80L H-Class 240V → 80L 3500W. The large-scale ICRA Class IV extraction specification.

Air scrubbers — negative pressure and ambient filtration

AEROMAX 500 240V → 500CFM. Standard Class III and IV single-room ICRA specification.
AEROMAX 500 110V → 500CFM site-safe. For construction site hospital work where 110V is mandated.
AEROMAX 800 240V → 700CFM H14 HEPA. Larger work zones and corridor containment.
AEROMAX 1200 240V → 1200CFM. Major Class IV containment and multi-room negative pressure systems.

Telephone: 01522 787978 for ICRA specification advice. Contact the V-TUF trade team →