Smoke alarm deadline looms for long-term care
Executive Briefings Digest, March 14, 2006
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Nursing homes have until May 24 before inspectors enforce a new fire safety mandate. Nursing homes that install battery-operated alarms must have a program for testing and maintaining them, including regular battery replacements.
Approximately 4,200 nursing homes without sprinklers needed to install single-station smoke alarms in all resident rooms and common areas, according to a 2005 estimate by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The total price tag for these upgrades: $41.1 million.
CMS estimates the time and cost as follows:
- Time to inspect a smoke alarm: Five minutes each month (one hour each year)
- Time to clean an alarm and change its batteries: 15 minutes every six months (30 minutes each year)
- Maintenance worker wage: $20 per hour ($30 each year per device)
- Battery cost: $5 for each change ($10 each year per device)
- Annual inspection and maintenance cost: $40 each year per device
Source: Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
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