Plenum Requirements For Egress Corridors In Health Care Environments

By Robert Trotter, CBO, CFM (in Engineered Systems July 1, 2011)


Incorporating a plenum can have its design advantages, but corridors serving adjoining areas of health care occupancies are prohibited from being used for a portion of an air supply, air return, or exhaust air plenum. This article and its illustrations can strengthen your grasp of the related NFPA code details and exceptions so you can design and ventilate properly for this special population.
 
In the built environment, a plenum is a separate space specifically for air circulation for HVAC, typically provided in the space between the structural floor/ceiling and a suspended-grid acoustical tile ceiling. When making design decisions, you should consider the advantages and disadvantages of  plenum configurations. 

Read entire article here: Plenum Requirements for Egress Corridors in Health Care Environments

Argon Use

We have a number of electrosurgical units that use a high purity laboratory-grade argon gas. Is it permissible to store extra cylinders of argon in the same storage room in which medical gas cylinders are stored?

Infection Control Risk Assessment

How many signatures are required on an Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) document? And when do we need to perform an ICRA?

Compliance News: Guards in the Means of Egress

By Robert Trotter, CBO, CFM, MCP

While the guard pictured in the example is aesthetically pleasing it may not provide for the greatest level of protection for life safety.  In fact, NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code® specifically addresses guards in the means of egress.  Means of egress components that might require protection with guards include stairs, landings, balconies, corridors, passageways, floor or roof openings, ramps, aisles, porches, and mezzanines.  To understand the Life Safety Code® provisions for guards, consult the adopted edition for your jurisdiction. 

The fundamental requirements for guards in the means of egress that are more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below include the following:

• Guards are to be provided with guards to prevent falls over the open side. 
• The height of guards is measured vertically to the top of the guard from the surface adjacent thereto. 
• Guards should not be less than 42 inches high. 
• Open guards, other than approved, existing open guards, must have intermediate rails or an ornamental pattern such that a sphere four inches in diameter cannot not pass through any opening up to a height of 34 inches. Relative to the example pictured, vertical intermediate rails are preferred to reduce climbability.  

Handrails are often incorporated into guards as part of a protection package for the means of egress components described above.

Compliance News: Risk Assessments: Proactive Process for Managing EOC Safety Risks

By Dean Samet, CHSP

Performing a risk assessment is an accepted approach to identifying and minimizing safety hazards associated with the health care physical environment and services. 

Per The Joint Commission’s 2011 Hospital Accreditation Standards manual, standard EC.01.01.01: The hospital plans activities to minimize risks in the environment of care.                                                                                                                            

The Rationale for EC.01.01.01 provides the background and further explanatory information: “Risks are inherent in the environment because of the types of care provided and the equipment and materials that are necessary to provide that care. The best way to manage these risks is through a systematic approach that involves the proactive evaluation of the harm that could occur. By identifying one or more individuals to coordinate and manage risk assessment and reduction activities—and to intervene when conditions immediately threaten life and health—organizations can be more confident that they have minimized the potential for harm.

Compliance News: Carts in Corridor: 30 Minute "In Use" Rule

By Dean Samet, CHSP

In a Q & A segment of The Joint Commission’s Environment of Care® News, June 2009, Volume 12, Issue 6, TJC’s Standards Interpretation Group (SIG) answers questions on how long computer on wheels and other wheeled carts may be in corridors, provided that they are “in use.” This issue continues to be a common finding during The Joint Commission surveys and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services inspections.  

Compliance News: Unsealed Spaces 1/8 Inch or Less in Corridor Partitions to be Sealed

By Dean Samet, CHSP



Effective February 1, 2011, unsealed penetrations above the ceiling in existing corridor partitions of 1/8-inch wide or less around pipes, conduits, ducts, and wires will no longer be permitted by The Joint Commission according to the April 2011 edition of The Joint Commission’s Environment of Care News. Note #1 of Standard LS.02.01.30, Element of Performance No. 6, has been deleted.

Compliance News: Notifying TJC about Organization Changes

By Dean Samet, CHSP

If and when significant changes occur within a hospital, the hospital staff must notify The Joint Commission in writing or through its Joint Commission Connect site not more than 30 calendar days after such a change is made. The staff must also notify TJC in writing or in its electronic application (e-APP) if it opens or closes any units or services.

There are three change categories addressed in the 2011 Hospital Accreditation Standards manual’s The Accreditation Process (ACC) chapter:

• Changes affecting e-APP Information

• Changes to the Site of Care, Treatment, or Services

• Mergers, Consolidations, and Acquisitions

 

Smoke Damper Testing

Does TJC allow for “remote testing of dampers” via fire alarm and building controls system, rather than a physical test?  For example: if they remotely command the smoke dampers to close via the fire alarm system relay, and then they wait to see that the building control system (which monitors them) shows them changing from “open” to “close”.

Hazardous Materials and Waste

Health care organizations are responsible for adhering to local, state, and federal regulations for proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. How is it possible for Joint Commission surveyors to determine whether an organization is complying with all these codes, standards, and regulations when they often differ from one location or state to another?

Requirements for Infant/ Child Abduction Drills

Does the Joint Commission require infant/child abduction drills?

ID Badges

What are the requirements for ID badges?

Security Sensitive Areas

Does the Joint Commission recommend what areas are to be classified as security sensitive?

Call Buttons

What are the requirements for an emergency call button in a public accessible restroom? Is the requirement different if the restroom is used by patients only? Is the requirement different in a health care occupancy compared to a business occupancy?

PFI Change Request

When is a Plan for Improvement (PFI) change request necessary?

Computers on Wheels

How long can computers on wheels be in corridors? Are they allowed to charge in the corridors?

Locking of Electrical Panels

Are electrical panels that are located in patient care corridors required to be locked?

EM Drills

When are tabletop drills acceptable as emergency management drills?