February 10, 2006—The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together to advance and promote the mutual interests of engineers and healthcare facility professionals.
“With ASHRAE having the primary expertise in HVAC and ASHE having the primary expertise in healthcare engineering, our joint efforts will ensure that the design and operation of our healthcare facilities meet the patients’ need for health and safety,” states Lee Burgett, PE, ASHRAE president.
The new joint effort formalizes the already strong relationship shared by ASHE and ASHRAE and marks a commitment by the two organizations “to continuously improve engineering design and construction for the creation of optimal healthcare environments,” says William Morgan, SASHE, CHFM, 2006 ASHE president.
The two organizations are working together in a number of areas, including jointly developing proposed standard 170P, Ventilation for Healthcare Facilities. The proposed standard will define requirements for ventilation system design intended to provide environmental control for comfort, as well as infection and odor control.
For more information, visit the ASHRAE and ASHE’s Web sites.
