Expert Air Tightness Testing for Controlled Environments

Isolation Facilities Air Tightness Testing is a crucial process for evaluating the integrity of air containment in controlled environments such as isolation rooms, cleanrooms, and other critical areas, particularly in hospitals and laboratories. It ensures that specific airflow patterns are maintained and air leakage is minimised, which is essential for preventing contamination and ensuring a safe, controlled environment.

With extensive experience in testing a wide range of controlled environments, including isolation suite testing in healthcare and laboratory settings, we have recently expanded our expertise to include air testing in data centres. Our site specialists possess a wealth of industry-specific knowledge and are committed to guiding our clients through every step of the air testing process.

Whether you're constructing a new isolation suite, refurbishing an existing one, or managing a healthcare facility, laboratory, or data centre, our dedicated in-house air-tightness specialists are here to support you every step of the way. We offer invaluable guidance from the design phase all the way through to the final air test.

Our specialists work closely with your team during the construction or refurbishment process, conducting progress checks and ensuring everything is on track for a successful final air test. By collaborating with your site team, we help address potential issues early on, ensuring your isolation facility meets stringent air-tightness standards and achieves optimal performance.  

What is Isolation Suite Testing;

The primary objective is to ensure that isolation rooms or facilities effectively contain airborne contaminants or prevent external contaminants from entering. This is particularly vital in healthcare settings, where isolation rooms are designed either to protect patients from external infections (positive pressure) or to prevent the spread of infectious diseases to others (negative pressure). Minimizing air leakage in isolation suites is essential to reduce infection risks. Any air leakage into or out of an isolation suite can result in uncontained airborne pathogens traveling to or from other hospital areas, compromising safety.

For an isolation suite to function properly, air permeability must meet specified criteria, and airflow through leakage paths must stay within defined limits. Lowering air permeability offers several key advantages:

• Provides passive protection against contamination between adjacent areas.
• Ensures the ventilation system can be balanced and commissioned effectively.
• Allows precise specification and correct operation of the pressure stabiliser.
• Reduces the amount of fumigation escaping to nearby areas during disinfection.
• In case of fan failure, the walls act as the first line of defence against infection.
• High fabric leakage can prevent proper pressurization of rooms and impair pressure stabiliser function. Instead of increasing airflow rates, it is better to reduce air permeability.

What are the minimum requirements?

Minimum Requirements for Air Tightness Testing in Isolation Suites

Recent updates to Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 03-01 require that isolation suites, operating theatres, aseptic pharmacy preparation areas, containment facilities, and similar environments undergo air tightness testing in accordance with BTS 3/2018 . This document outlines two methods for measuring air tightness:

1. Leakage Rate:
   • The suite is considered fit for purpose if, at a test pressure of +20 and -20 Pascals, the average air leakage rate does not exceed 1 l/s per m³ of envelope volume (as stated in HBN 4 Supplement 1).
2. Air Permeability:
   • A maximum air permeability of 2.5 m³/(h·m²) at 50 Pa is required for isolation suites and individual rooms (Bsria standard).

For each room or suite tested, both pressurization and depressurization tests must be performed, and the results from both tests should remain within the recommended limits. If the specified air permeability limits are not met, remedial actions, such as sealing gaps and cracks, should be implemented to achieve compliance.

Get in touch……………..

Ensuring the air tightness and proper ventilation of isolation suites is essential for maintaining a safe, controlled environment in healthcare and other critical settings. By adhering to industry standards and conducting thorough air permeability tests, we help protect both patients and staff from airborne contaminants while ensuring regulatory compliance. Our experienced specialists are committed to guiding you through every step of the isolation suite testing process, identifying potential issues, and providing effective solutions to meet the required standards.

Contact us today to discuss your air testing needs and safeguard the integrity of your isolation suites.