Which of the following best describes the composition of the ICRA team in healthcare construction projects?

• A. Only the infection preventionist and facilities staff.
• B. Hospital administration and legal team.
• C. Maintenance staff and patients.
• D. Infection preventionist/ICP, facilities/engineering, project management, construction contractor reps, safety officer, clinical departments affected, environmental services, and sometimes occupational health and risk management.

Answer: (D)

Managing infection control risks during healthcare construction requires a multidisciplinary ICRA team that includes the infection preventionist or ICP to lead the assessment of how construction could affect airborne and contact transmission, dust, water systems, and surface contamination and to design containment and cleaning plans. Facilities/engineering bring expertise on building systems, HVAC, filtration, pressurization, water quality, and feasible containment measures. Project management keeps timelines, budgets, and communications aligned so mitigations are implemented without compromising patient care. Construction contractor representatives ensure on-site adherence to containment protocols and safe work practices. A safety officer contributes to worker safety and risk controls. Clinical departments affected keep workflows and patient care safe, ensuring mitigation strategies meet real clinical needs. Environmental services coordinate cleaning and disinfection plans during and after construction. Occupational health may monitor worker exposures and medical surveillance if needed. Risk management helps document decisions and incident response. This broad, integrated collaboration is essential because infection control in a construction zone spans clinical operations, building systems, worker safety, and daily patient care, demanding input from all these functions to protect patients and staff.