Priorities for birthing rooms set out

Phil Nedin, a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of IHEEM, and Past President of the Institute, who, recently left Arup--having worked for the company for 25 years - to set up his own consultancy, and Anna Coppel, a Chartered Engineer based in Arup's Advanced Technology and Research team in London, describe a design analysis that used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate and validate the effectiveness of a number of mechanical ventilation options often associated with birthing rooms, thereby ensuring a system that is fit for purpose. In such settings, they point out, the need to reduce the levels of nitrous oxide to a COSHH threshold is a legal requirement.