CSA Z317.2:19 Special requirements for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in health care facilities

CSA Z317.2:19 Special requirements for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in health care facilities. 4 General 4.1 This Standard addresses the special requirements of HVAC systems pertinent to the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of HCFs. Special requirements for HVAC systems in HCFs result from the need to protect occupants of the facility and the adjacent surroundings from a) infectious diseases; b) fire and smoke; c) hazards created by specialized equipment and processes; d) adverse conditions created by the failure or improper operation of HVAC systems; and e) contaminants that might be hazardous to persons, animals, vegetation, water streams, the atmosphere, and the ozone layer. 4.2 HVAC systems shall be designed and constructed to provide the temperature, relative humidity, relative pressurization, and air flow specified in Table 1. The HVAC parameters in Table 1 shall be applied based on the function of the room or area and the activities that will take place there, regardless of the name given to the room or area. Notes: 1) HVAC systems are designed to maintain indoor temperatures and relative humidity within prescribed values based on available data on environmental conditions at that location (i.e., the design range). It is recognized that interior temperature or humidity could be pushed above or below the prescribed values if the outdoor weather conditions significantly exceed the design range at the upper or lower end. 2) Planning for new systems should take into account predicted increases in average temperatures, and the possibility of more extreme weather events due to climate change. Systems and equipment should be adaptable so they can accommodate higher outside temperatures. 4.3 If a given area of a facility is used for more than one function and HVAC requirements differ between the functions, the more stringent requirements shall take precedence. Note: For example, for a minor OR (Type I area) within a medical walk-in clinic, the requirements applicable to ORs would take precedence over those applicable to walk-in clinics. CSA Z317.2 pdf download.