Nebraska Medicine and the UNMC campus at 42nd and Dodge, CHI Health's Omaha hospital network, Methodist Health System — healthcare roofing in Omaha is technically demanding in ways that general commercial roofing work is not. Active surgical floors, infection control zones, 24/7 operations that cannot be interrupted by construction noise or vibration, and hot-work permit requirements that vary floor by floor.
Healthcare campuses are the most technically demanding commercial roofing environments in Omaha. The University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine operate a hospital complex directly beneath roofs that, on any given day, are above active surgical suites, Level I trauma bays, NICU floors, and sterile processing areas. CHI Health's Creighton University Medical Center sits in north Omaha with a similar operational profile. Methodist Health System operates hospital and medical office buildings across the metro from its Midtown campus on Methodist Plaza Drive.
I ran my first hospital roofing project without a detailed infection control plan and learned exactly why that matters. A section of mechanically attached TPO on a hospital wing generates vibration through the deck that can affect sensitive medical equipment on the floor below. Construction dust infiltrating a rooftop HVAC unit on an infection-control floor creates a compliance problem for the infection control officer, not just a maintenance call. Every healthcare roofing project we take requires a written infection control risk assessment (ICRA) submitted to the facility's infection control officer before mobilization — this is not a value-add we offer, it is a non-negotiable precondition for working on an occupied hospital building.
Our project managers have built relationships with facility management teams at UNMC, CHI Health, and Methodist over years of work at these campuses. That continuity — knowing the building's operational schedule, the infection control officer's requirements, and the hot-work permit process specific to each campus — is the thing that prevents a roofing project from becoming a facilities management crisis.
Nebraska Medicine and UNMC Campus
The UNMC campus south of Dodge between 40th and 45th Streets is one of the most complex roofing environments in the Omaha metro. The campus includes The Nebraska Medical Center tower, Clarkson Tower, the Lied Transplant Center, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, and multiple research and academic buildings — each with its own operational profile and construction access protocol.
Work on UNMC's occupied medical buildings requires ICRA submission, hot-work permits coordinated with the campus fire safety office, rooftop HVAC and exhaust system isolation planning (critical on buildings with air handling systems serving operating rooms or immunocompromised patient floors), and a construction noise schedule coordinated against the surgical and patient care schedule. We maintain a written project execution protocol for UNMC campus work that addresses each of these requirements — our project managers are not learning the campus process on your project.
CHI Health — Creighton University Medical Center and Regional Network
CHI Health's Omaha hospital network anchors at Creighton University Medical Center in north Omaha and extends through a regional network of hospitals, specialty clinics, and medical office buildings. The north Omaha campus presents roofing access and staging conditions that require attention: the surrounding neighborhood, parking constraints, and the proximity of active emergency department operations to contractor staging areas.
Medical office buildings in CHI Health's network — including those on the Lakeside, Midlands, and Bergan Mercy campuses — are often managed separately from the main hospital and have different facility management contacts and construction approval processes. We maintain separate project files for each building in a health system's portfolio, and we never assume that access protocols from one building apply to the next.
Infection Control, Hot-Work, and Zero-Shutdown Protocols
Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA): Required before mobilization on any occupied hospital building or building connected via HVAC to occupied patient-care space. We complete ICRA documentation and submit to the facility's infection control officer. The ICRA specifies dust containment strategy, HVAC isolation during construction activity, negative air pressure maintenance in affected areas if required, and construction waste removal route that does not cross patient-care corridors.
Hot-work permits: Torch-applied modified bitumen and open-flame welding work requires a hot-work permit on every occupied hospital campus. We submit the permit application with fire watch protocol, fire extinguisher placement plan, suppression system coordination, and daily sign-off sheet. On several UNMC and CHI Health buildings, we have shifted entirely to cold-applied and mechanically attached systems to eliminate hot-work exposure — a design decision that reduces permit complexity and operational risk.
Noise and vibration scheduling: Mechanical attachment of single-ply membrane involves pneumatic screw installation — a noise and vibration source that can affect sensitive floors below. We schedule mechanically attached work against the floor's operational calendar, avoid early morning and late evening noise windows near patient floors, and use vibration-dampened installation equipment where the floor sensitivity requires it.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ICRA and do you produce one?
An Infection Control Risk Assessment is a pre-construction document that identifies infection control risks from the construction activity and specifies mitigation measures — dust containment, HVAC isolation, air pressure management, waste removal routing. We produce ICRA documentation for every project on an occupied healthcare campus and submit it to the facility's infection control officer before mobilization. This is a requirement of Joint Commission standards for construction on healthcare campuses, not a contractor option.
Can roofing work continue while the operating rooms below are active?
It depends on the specific work type and the floor sensitivity. Mechanical attachment of membrane generates vibration and noise — we schedule this away from active OR hours. Cold-applied or fully adhered systems significantly reduce vibration and are preferred over OR and NICU floors. The pre-construction meeting with facility management determines which work types can run during which hours, and that schedule is written into the project execution plan before any crew mobilizes.
Do you have experience with energy-code compliance on UNMC campus buildings?
Yes. UNMC campus buildings are subject to Nebraska energy code (IECC 2021) and in some cases to additional federal requirements for federally funded research facilities. Our insulation specs include compliance documentation for the applicable code path — we do not leave energy code compliance as a field decision.
Roofing scope for a healthcare campus in Omaha?
We will walk the building, complete an ICRA pre-assessment, and produce a written scope with infection control protocol, hot-work plan, and manufacturer warranty path.
Ready to talk through a roof?
Tell us about the building and the roof problem. We'll document it and put a plan in writing — with an honest repair-vs-replace recommendation and no upsell pressure.