NHS Fife - Installation of Extraction Fans in Dental Surgeries
NHS Fife - Installation of Extraction Fans in Dental Surgeries
Client/Site: NHS Fife Trust
Project duration: 4 weeks
Project value: £43,000.00
Completion date: June 2022
Main Contractor: E.W Edwardson Electrical Contractors Ltd
Trades/ Sub-Contractors involved: Core Cut (Drilling Specialists), Access Plus (MEWP Supplier and operator)
Brief project description:
E.W Edwardson Electrical Contractors are proud of their involvement in the recent installation works involving installing new extract fans for ventilation purposes in Orthodontics department within surgery rooms at Whytemans Brae Hospital in Kirkcaldy Fife,
The scope of works included.
We were 1st approached by our client’s own engineer who looks after Whytemans Brae installations regarding the need for additional ventilation within 7 surgery rooms within the hospital. We arranged a meeting on site to discuss their requirements and on arrival realized that this task, as is so often the case within operation clinical settings, was going to be a challenge. The rooms requiring the works carried out were used daily and even if there were timeslots during the day when 1 or more of the surgery rooms may not be in use working in a premises such as this would be very problematic. We along with the client surmised very quickly that these tasks would need to be completed out with normal working hours and therefore done over the space of a few weekends. While carrying out the initial survey we discovered that the external walls which the new fans were to be fitted to are of brick make up and as they are also 12 inch in diameter we recommended us tasking a subcontractor with this specialist part of the works. We also came to the conclusion that any drilling should be done from the outside to minimize dust within the surgery rooms. When carrying out a survey externally we discovered that the positions of the drilling were not straightforward to access and so it was decided that we should employ a specialist access equipment supplier to provide us with a suitable MEWP for the task. While carrying out the works we would require shutting down electric supplies to add our new fan controls to existing circuits within the surgeries and this would be carried out using safe isolation procedure and hand in hand with NHS Estates staff who would be present for this.
Project Challenges:
The primary challenge with this project was to complete all work within the surgery rooms without causing any disruption to the day to day running of the busy hospital dentist department. Another challenge was where the fans were situated and the drilling of 12-inch holes through brick walls. Due to the size of the holes required we subcontracted this part of the work to Core Cut who are specialists in the area. Due to the access issues to allow the holes to be cut we subcontracted Access Plus to survey the area and supply us with a suitable MEWP to allow this work to be carried out safely and timeously. When they quoted a machine to overcome these hurdles, we discovered that neither of the guys we had trained specifically for this specialist machine were available at time of works so we asked Access Plus to supply an operator for these tasks. While carrying out all these works at weekends and planned initially we carried out works in 2 surgeries at a time to allow the inside of surgeries to be covered with dust sheets and polythene where required to keep any dust to a minimum. This also allowed us to make sure that all surfaces and surrounding areas to be cleaned after we had finished. After liaising with staff on site it was decided that we should clean up using hoovers and when wiping down we uses water only. This allowed the cleaning staff to carry out an NHS deep clean on the Monday morning before surgeries began.
Overall project risk level: Medium
Complexity Level: Medium
Top three items on the works risk assessment and how these risks were mitigated:
| Hazard(s) | Aspects of Activity | Existing Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk |
| Manual Handling | Risk of cuts from manual handling ducts and rough debris | High Risk | Gloves (EN388) should be worn at all times on site. | Low Risk |
| Electricity | Working with electricity | High Risk | Electrical systems should be switched off and disconnected before work commences. Lock off kits should be used to ensure systems cannot be reconnected without authorisation. Warning notices should be posted to advise electrical work is in progress. All electrical work should be supervised, and final connections made by qualified employees. Consideration of secondary supplies should be made. | Low Risk |
| Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Risk of infection arising from Coronavirus | High Risk | All employees to receive EWE Covid-19 briefing. Should any employee suspect they have any symptoms of Coronavirus or any other illness they should not attend site and must self isolate for 14 days. Employees must follow good hygiene practice for coughs and sneezes. Paper tissues should be used to catch any sneeze or cough and these must be diposed of immediately after use. Employee should wash hands immediately after any sneeze or cough. All employees to maintain good hygiene practices and to follow hand-washing protocol All employees to ensure they have full PPE on site and should ensure this is kept clean. Single use PPE must be disposed of in bins after use and other PPE should be wiped with alco-wipes before putting on and before storing away. All employees must have their own PPE. All employees must use their own tools only and should not share tools with others on site or fellow employees All employees to receive the Coronavirus tool box talk which should be signed off by employees | Low Risk |
Project Conclusion and Client Collaboration:
The project was completed within the allocated timeframe across 3 weekends with approximately 3 electrical operatives onsite at all times along with any required sub-contractors. Our quotes were approved by the client before any works started and works came in within budget.
Following weekly progress meetings to ensure the client and building staff were happy all compliance documentation was handed over at the end of the project, this included Minor Electrical Works Certificate, This project was on time and in budget, making it a great success.
