Summa Health System to implement UBC Construction ICRA Best Practices Training

AKRON, Ohio - April 28, 2014 - PRLog -- Summa Health System has partnered with the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) to provide Construction ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment) Best Practices training to all carpenters and tradespeople performing work in its hospitals. Beginning in 2015, per the bidding specifications, 24 hours of Construction ICRA Best Practices training and certification will be a requirement for all carpenters performing any construction work at any of Summa Health System’s four fully-owned hospitals. In addition, an 8-hour Construction ICRA Best Practices awareness training course will be mandatory for all other tradespeople.

Mike Bohan, Business Representative, ICRA Lead, of the IKORCC said, “Our goal is to deliver a workforce of construction professionals who have a heightened awareness and understanding of how to protect the patients, staff, and themselves during building projects in occupied healthcare facilities, while productively performing their work without disrupting daily operations.”

Bohan added, “Construction ICRA Best Practices is building the bridge of communication to work in unison with healthcare facilities’ protocols that will ultimately lead to saving lives.”

Aaron Wright, Business Representative, ICRA Lead, of the IKORCC said, “Our partnership with Summa is raising the bar on patient safety. By utilizing this top-notch training, Summa is ensuring that their contractors and employees are implementing and adhering to cutting-edge techniques to minimize any risk to patients.”

Ed Friedl, P.E., Vice President of Construction at Summa stated, “At the heart of every decision we make is patient care. It’s not enough that we have a highly trained team of doctors and nurses. We want every person to have the best training possible for the work they do in our hospitals, and that includes our carpenters and other trades.”

In preparation for this change, Summa Health System is planning to also have its maintenance and other key management individuals participate in the 8-hour awareness training course.

Friedl added, “We are excited about this new chapter at Summa. We look forward to working with the IKORCC and our contractors to continually be the best we can be and stay at the forefront of patient safety and construction.”

The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters represents more than 32,000 professional tradespeople in 43 locals in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and parts of West Virginia and Tennessee. A proud affiliate of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, which has a century-plus tradition of representing the best of the building trades, the council works in partnership with thousands of contractors, helping them find the best possible talent for their projects. The hallmark of the regional council is three-fold: training, professionalism and partnerships for economic development.