CSA Group CSA Z8000:18 National Standard of Canada (reaffirmed 2023) Canadian health care facilities

Preface

This is the second edition of CSA Z8000, Canadian health care facilities. It supersedes the previous edition published in 2011.

It is part of a series of Standards related to health care facility engineering and sets forth planning, design, and construction requirements intended to support five key objectives for health care facility design (the OASIS principles):

• operational effectiveness and efficiency;
• accessibility;
• safety and security;
• infection prevention and control; and
• sustainability.

Changes in this edition include

a) update and reorganization of the planning clauses to better align with provincial/territorial procurement practices;

b) greater detail on the make-up the inter-disciplinary team and its role in planning;

c) new and updated information on mock-ups and simulations as part of planning and design;

d) revision to occupational health and safety (OHS), patient safety, and accessibility provisions;

e) update to the infection prevention and control requirements to reflect advances in science, technology, and clinical practice related to infection prevention and control (IPC);

f) addition and expansion of material on infant and pediatric treatment spaces;

g) revisions and additions to address specific needs of pediatric patients and their families;

h) modification of the wayfinding section to align with the new CSA standard on wayfinding,CSA Z317.14;

i) expansion of the clauses addressing risk assessment and catastrophic event planning;

j) reorganization of ambulatory care and procedures clauses to provide clear guidance and

requirements for low-acuity community health facilities;

k) addition of clauses specifically addressing long-term care facilities;

l) updated requirements for equipment, logistics, and information technology planning and support;

m) adjustment of room size requirements where needed to align with provinces/territories (P/T) planning guidelines and best practice;

n) updates to architectural requirements to accommodate newer building designs, technologies, and construction practices;

o) updates to the medical device reprocessing and medical laboratories clauses by experts in those areas; and

p) new and revised material on technology integration, reflecting the increasing reliance on mobile communications, electronic patient records, building management systems, and robotics.

CSA Group acknowledges that the development of this Standard was made possible, in part, by the financial support of the governments of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, as administered by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH).

This Standard was prepared by the Subcommittee on the Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities, under the jurisdiction of the Technical Committee on Health Care Facilities and the Strategic Steering Committee on Health Care Technology and Systems, and has been formally approved by the Technical Committee.

This Standard has been developed in compliance with Standards Council of Canada requirements for National Standards of Canada. It has been published as a National Standard of Canada by CSA Group.

Notes:

1) Use of the singular does not exclude the plural (and vice versa) when the sense allows.

2) Although the intended primary application of this Standard is stated in its Scope, it is important to note that it remains the responsibility of the users of the Standard to judge its suitability for their particular purpose.

3) This Standard was developed by consensus, which is defined by CSA Policy governing standardization — Code of good practice for standardization as “substantial agreement. Consensus implies much more than a simple majority, but not necessarily unanimity”. It is consistent with this definition that a member may be included in the Technical Committee list and yet not be in full agreement with all clauses of this Standard.

4) To submit a request for interpretation of this Standard, please send the following information to [email protected] and include “Request for interpretation” in the subject line:

a) define the problem, making reference to the specific clause, and, where appropriate, include an illustrative sketch;

b) provide an explanation of circumstances surrounding the actual field condition; and

c) where possible, phrase the request in such a way that a specific “yes” or “no” answer will address the issue.

Committee interpretations are processed in accordance with the CSA Directives and guidelines governing standardization and are available on the Current Standards Activities page at standardsactivities.csagroup.org.

5) This Standard is subject to review within five years from the date of publication. Suggestions for its improvement will be referred to the appropriate committee. To submit a proposal for change, please send the following information to [email protected] and include “Proposal for change” in the subject line:

a) Standard designation (number);

b) relevant clause, table, and/or figure number;

c) wording of the proposed change; and

d) rationale for the change.

1 Scope

1.1 General

1.1.1

This Standard describes essential elements and specific requirements for the planning, design, and construction of HCFs. It applies to all facilities, public or private, that provide health care treatments, health-related services, or diagnostic testing services, regardless of type, size, location, or range of services. This Standard applies to the following facility types:

a) inpatient, outpatient, or combined hospitals;

b) facilities providing outpatient diagnosis and treatment services; and

c) specialty inpatient centres and residential care facilities.

Note: Owing to differences in terminology across the country, it is not possible to provide a comprehensive list of all facilities covered by this Standard. The facilities listed in Items a), b), and c), and in Table 1.1 are examples only.

Additional examples are listed in Annex B