GOVERMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL
Since its inception, acensium has provided superior support to the government and institutional sector as part of our portfolio of services. Our work is divided into four major groups:
» Government Services Provided by Acensium
» Healthcare and Institutional Technical Risk Services
» Industrial and Energy Technical Risk Services
» Technical Risk Solutions for Business
Healthcare and Institutional
Technical Risk Services
Hospitals, nursing homes, critical care facilities college and university classrooms, laboratories, and dormitories may each differ in the types of people and specific risks they encompass. However, all share these common traits:
- A public and transient population not readily familiar with facility layout or processes
- Multi-addition or building campus settings with facilities of varying age
- Potentially high hazard processes or stock inventories
- The need to frequently alter or change facilities to provide new functions
From a risk perspective, both healthcare and institutional settings require a high degree of physical protection and configuration management to ensure the safety of the public and to a large degree the personnel who are not directly involved with the function of the physical plant. At the same time, these facilities cannot shut down and relocate many of their operations to other locations at those times that retrofitting is being conducted. As a result, any changes must maintain the means of emergency egress and safety of the occupants, while at the same time allowing access to the construction trades to perform their work.
acensium understands and has successfully worked with these challenges, helping facilities, maintenance, and administrative departments to safely execute their plans for change and expansion. We offer traditional fire and safety design services, as well as a host of programmatic training, hazard assessment, and emergency planning skills developed with institutional operations in mind.
These services range from:
- Automatic sprinkler and fire alarm design and renovation
- Fire and life safety studies
- Fire barrier and hazard mitigation architectural modifications
- Process hazards analysis
- Job hazard analysis
- Hazardous materials management
- Safety program development and training
- Emergency and contingency planning and response drills
Profiles of Our Service
The following are brief descriptions of projects and solutions acensium has already provided to its customers:
Existing College Campus Facility Obtains Fire and Life Safety Upgrades While Continuing to Operate
Challenge:
After several years of false alarms and citations by the local fire department for failure to maintain the fire alarm in service, a decision was made to replace the existing system and expand detection and alarm capabilities throughout the complex. However, none of the existing functions and schedule can be impacted for the classroom or surrounding support administration offices.
Solution:
acensium was asked to provide both design and commissioning services for the project. As a result of the challenging schedule, it was decided that the technical specification would be developed around the unique schedule challenges of an operating facility. As a result, bidders were asked to prepare as part of their response packages a presentation on their installation approach to accommodate this challenge, subsequent to an orientation and walk-through presented by acensium. Once the successful bidder was selected, acensium worked with them to develop specific procedures and work phases for the installation and coordinated with the facility staff to resolve conflicts. Periodically through the project, acensium visited the site either by schedule or upon request to help in addressing unique situations. acensium then reviewed and worked with the contractor and local authority having jurisdiction to conduct acceptance testing and turn-over to the client.
Critical Care Facility Prepares for JCAHO Evaluation
Challenge:
As part of the Statement of Care (SOC) Audit, a 250 bed critical care facility determined that it needed an outside objective review of its fire prevention and protection program.
Solution:
Based in large part for its previous thorough plan review and commissioning activities for an earlier remodeling project, acensium was selected to provide an independent SOC audit for fire protection in accordance with Joint Commission guidelines. Recognizing that JCAHO standards are considered as a minimum of care in this case, acensium was also requested to conduct its review using the most current edition of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, as well as applicable local building codes and standards for fire systems. During the course of the assessment process, no fewer than ten serious conditions were identified that likely would have gone unnoticed during a conventional Joint Commission sponsored assessment. These were promptly reviewed with the facility administration and a corrective action plan put in place along with interim compensatory measures.
While all of the needed work would be completed in advance of the JCAHO audit, it was nonetheless decided to note the deficiencies for the incoming team and track the results. Based upon the thoroughness of the self-inspection process and proactive action of the facility, the audit team made mention of the facility’s preparation activities and corrective action program as a significant and note-worthy practice in their report.
Proposed New Laboratory Facility Poses Risks to Surrounding Classroom and Office Areas
Challenge:
As part of an expansion for the chemistry department, a materials laboratory was to be added to the basement level of an existing four-story classroom building.
Solution:
During its work on another, unrelated facility remodel, acensium was requested by the campus project manager to briefly review a proposed laboratory expansion to give some informal comments. Taking time from his schedule, the fire protection engineer began discussing the proposed activity with the chemistry department chair and the campus project manager. Several major issues soon arose from this discussion, including concerns over quantities and location of certain hazardous materials and the arrangement of the exiting heating and ventilating system. The fire protection engineer proposed that a process hazards analysis be conducted as part of developing a functional operating requirements document to guide conceptual design.
While reluctant at first to undertake this expense in advance of architectural design, it was decided to try the process in light of the hazards involved. acensium worked with the chemistry department to develop their functional criteria, while at the same time reviewing and incorporating applicable requirements from codes and standards. Meanwhile, a physical review of the existing facility was conducted along with a detailed review of available drawings from the subject building. Conflicting requirements were presented and discussed with the representatives of the project management, chemistry department, and the newly appointed architect for the proposed project. As a result of the preparatory work, cost and time saving alternatives were addressed in advance of the design, reducing the overall engineering time by some three months and resulting in a design that was approved by the local authorities having jurisdiction on the first submittal.
How can we help you meet your technical risk objectives?
