Working in occupied clinics
Most healthcare work happens while the practice is open or between sessions. We plan with the practice manager so noisy or disruptive work is done before opening, after hours or on days when rooms aren’t booked. Isolations are agreed in advance, and we confirm which equipment is affected before anything is switched off.
Our staff are aware that they’re working around patients who may be unwell or anxious. We keep work areas screened, keep noise down, don’t block corridors or exits and leave rooms clean and usable at the end of each visit.
Infection control awareness
Clinical spaces have infection control procedures, and our work shouldn’t undermine them. When working in treatment rooms or near clinical areas, we follow the practice’s requirements, which can include:
- Cleaning down tools and equipment before entering clinical areas
- Containing dust when cutting into walls or ceilings
- Covering or moving clinical supplies before work starts
- Leaving surfaces wiped down so rooms can be cleaned and returned to use
If the practice has specific procedures, we’re happy to follow them. Just let us know what they are before we start.
Patient areas and critical power
Some treatment areas have additional electrical requirements. AS/NZS 3003 covers electrical installations in patient areas, including body-protected and cardiac-protected electrical areas, and the requirements depend on the procedures carried out in each room. Whether a room needs to be designated is a matter for the practice and its designers, and we install to the design and the standard.
Critical equipment such as vaccine fridges, sterilisers, dental chairs, imaging equipment and IT servers needs reliable supply. We look at dedicated circuits, correct RCD arrangements, surge protection and UPS connections so a fault on one circuit doesn’t take down equipment that matters. A thermal imaging check of the switchboard can find problems before they cause an unplanned outage.
Medical fit-outs
A new clinic or a refurbishment needs power and data in exactly the right places for the equipment and furniture layout. Our fit-out work for healthcare practices typically includes:
- Consult and treatment room power, lighting and data
- Dedicated circuits for sterilisers, fridges and specialist equipment
- Examination and task lighting
- Reception, waiting room and back-of-house power and data
- Nurse call, access control and security power
- Emergency and exit lighting to AS/NZS 2293
We coordinate with equipment suppliers so their installation requirements are built into the fit-out rather than discovered at the end.
Lighting in clinical spaces
Lighting in consult and treatment rooms needs to show skin tones and details accurately, without glare for patients lying on an examination bed. We install LED fittings with good colour rendering, examination and task lights where clinicians need them, and softer lighting in waiting areas.
Older clinics often still have fluorescent fittings that flicker or hum, which is distracting for patients and staff. An LED upgrade improves light quality and lowers running costs, and it can usually be done room by room so the practice keeps operating. See our commercial lighting page for more.
Ongoing testing and records
Healthcare practices generally have accreditation and WHS obligations that call for documented maintenance. Electrical equipment in clinical environments should be tested and tagged at intervals that suit the setting under AS/NZS 3760, and emergency lighting needs its periodic testing.
We provide test and tag, emergency lighting testing and switchboard inspections, either as one-off visits or under a maintenance agreement. Records are kept on file and provided in a form that’s easy to hand to an assessor. Note that specialised biomedical equipment testing is usually done by the equipment supplier or a biomedical technician.
What we need from you
For a fit-out, send the drawings, the equipment list and any designer’s notes on patient areas. For maintenance or repairs, tell us your practice hours, which rooms are most critical and who can approve isolations. We’ll give you an upfront written quote and a plan that keeps the practice running.