ASPE Working Group 82 was recently approved to develop a new standard on critical-care drain, waste, and vent (DWV) piping systems, and we seek industry experts—plumbing engineers; healthcare facility owners and operators; infection control specialists; public health department officials; industry association members; healthcare plumbing installers and service contractors; plumbing inspectors/commissioning agents; and industry manufacturers—to participate in the process. Interested professionals can apply at aspe.org.

Over the past 50 years, premise plumbing water systems have been a source of public health outbreaks (e.g., Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), especially in healthcare settings, but none of the current standards or guidelines, published or under development, address the hazards associated with the transmission of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) due to the design and maintenance of the plumbing DWV piping systems, specifically in the critical-care (i.e., intensive care) departments of a healthcare facility. ASPE 82: Plumbing Design Methodology to Reduce the Risk of Hospital-Acquired Infection (HAI) Transmission by Means of Critical Care Drain, Waste, and Vent Piping Systems seeks to close that gap.

ASPE is an American Nationals Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved standards development organization, and this standard will be developed according to ASPE’s accredited Procedures for Design Standard Development for approval as an American National Standard (ANS). Working Group members will participate via web meeting or conference call. Membership in ASPE is not required to participate.

Anyone interested in applying for Working Group 82 can do so here. The deadline to apply is March 16.

For more information, contact ASPE’s Director of Communications and Publications, Gretchen Pienta, at [email protected].