ICRA 2.0 — Healthcare Construction Infection Control

The short answer. ICRA 2.0 is the infection-control standard for construction inside active U.S. healthcare facilities. It was released by the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) in 2020 as a comprehensive update to the original ICRA framework, and it is the version Joint Commission-accredited hospitals expect contractors to follow today. Over 570 U.S. healthcare locations require ICRA-certified workers on construction and renovation projects.

ICRA 2.0 defines five precaution classes (I–V) cross-referenced with patient risk groups (Low → Highest) and four types of construction activity (A–D). Class I–III covers minor work; Class IV major construction with full containment, negative air pressure, and HEPA filtration; Class V the highest-precaution work with dual barriers, continuous negative air, and dedicated anterooms (ASHE, 2020). The Infection Preventionist role expanded under 2.0 — IPs are now hands-on with mitigation strategies, EPA verification, and monitoring.

Granite Safety's ICRA 2.0 course is delivered through the CICTI-aligned curriculum (Carpenters International Construction Training Institute). Joe Henricks holds the CICTI instructor authorization. The course covers containment, barrier construction, negative-pressure and HEPA filtration, traffic control, debris and waste handling, and the daily pre-task planning required when crews are working ten feet from immunocompromised patients.

This is not a theoretical course. The examples are from real hospital renovations the Granite Safety bench has worked on. The protocols are the ones the on-site Infection Preventionist will ask the foreman about before the barrier goes up.

What you'll learn

• Why ICRA Exists — Healthcare-Associated Infections
• ICRA Risk Classes and Permit Process
• Containment and Barrier Construction
• Negative-Pressure and HEPA Filtration
• Traffic Control and Worker Routing
• Debris, Waste, and Cross-Contamination Control
• Daily Pre-Task Planning in Active Healthcare Spaces

Who it's for

Construction crews and supervisors performing renovations, additions, or maintenance work in active healthcare facilities — hospitals, surgical centers, behavioral health, long-term care. General contractors, trade contractors, healthcare facilities maintenance, and infection-prevention partners running joint pre-task planning.

Card validity

ICRA training is not centralized under a single federal regulator. Granite Safety's CICTI-aligned curriculum is recognized by U.S. healthcare facilities that require ICRA-certified contractors for construction work. Recertification recommended every three years; some healthcare clients require more frequent refresh. We flag healthcare-system-specific requirements at enrollment.

What it costs

Charter Member price: $171 per seat (30% off Year One, locked for life). MSRP: $245. Talk to us about crew enrollment for healthcare construction projects.

Prerequisites

OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 (recommended).