RISK + REWARD 

Assessing the need for electrical system shutdowns

By David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE

Citing concerns for worker safety, tighter insurance requirements and Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement actions, most electrical contractors and electrical service companies now do their work in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.

They are no longer willing to maintain or to modify "hot," or energized, electrical equipment. Consequently, increasing numbers of hospitals have been undertaking the field investigations and electrical system studies necessary for applying those ubiquitous arc flash labels on electrical equipment. What's more, new maintenance requirements have increased the urgency of this process.

Read the entire article at HFM Magazine

Assessing the need for hospital electrical system shutdowns

Risk + Reward - Assessing the need for electrical system shutdowns

By David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE

Consider conducting Shutdown Risk Assessments

This article first appeared in the August 2012 issue of HFM magazine.

NFPA disclaimer: Although the author is chairman of the NFPA tech­nical committee on emergency power supplies, which is responsible for NFPA 110 and 111, the views and opinions expressed in this article are purely those of the author and shall not be considered the official position of NFPA or any of its technical committees, and shall not be considered to be, nor be relied upon as, a formal interpretation of the discussed standards.

Citing concerns for worker safety, tighter insurance requirements and Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement actions, most electrical contractors and electrical service companies now do their work in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.

They are no longer willing to maintain or to modify "hot," or energized, electrical equipment. Consequently, increasing numbers of hospitals have been undertaking the field investigations and electrical system studies necessary for applying those ubiquitous arc flash labels on electrical equipment. What's more, new maintenance requirements have increased the urgency of this process.

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Powering Down: An orderly process for switching off hospital electrical equipment

By David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE (in Hospital Engineering Trends Sept/Oct 2004)
  

An electrical shutdown is a carefully managed process whereby electrical equipment is switched off for various reasons, including crucial maintenance, training, expansion and repair; and then turned back on again with minimal impact to patients.
  
Electrical shutdowns can be performed safely and hospitals can gain added benefits from their electrical shutdowns if they also use them to train clinical and support staff in how to deal with power outages. Hospitals taking this approach are continuously improving their environment of care.
  
The right time?
Hospitals need to plan electrical shutdowns whenever modifications must be made to the equipment. Industry experts will tell you that working “hot” is never a good idea if there is any other way. A well-planned shutdown is that other way, and it is required in many instances. For example, it should be planned shortly after completion of construction/renovation (C/R) activity in the vicinity of the electrical equipment, even if the electrical system itself is new.

Read entire article here: Powering Down

Ready for tomorrow - Six critical areas of emergency power management

By David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE (in Health Facilities Management)

An emergency power (EP) system's role in patient safety is critical to hospitals and regulators. Each hospital EP system must power what the health care facility needs, when and for as long as it needs it.
That is a tall order and one that likely will become more complicated as new requirements and technologies increase the demands on these systems.

So, how can hospitals prepare for these challenges? What measures should they take? Of what dangers should they be aware? These questions can be answered by exploring and analyzing six critical areas of emergency power management.

Read entire article here:  Ready for tomorrow