Safety

Tip of the week: You don't need to see two exit signs in all cases

Hospital Safety Connection, January 28, 2009

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Last week a competitor of ours ran a story that perpetuated the myth that you must always be able to see two exit signs from any point in a hospital. That simply isn’t true.
 
In the Life Safety Code, section 7.10.1.2 states that exits, other than main entrance doors that are easily identified, must be marked by exit signs visible from any direction. There is no mention of needing two signs visible from a given point, and stating otherwise is an inaccurate interpretation of the code, said Brad Keyes, CHSP, consultant with The Greeley Company in Marblehead, MA, and a former life safety specialist with The Joint Commission.
 
Keyes points to a written opinion from the Healthcare Interpretations Task Force, an industry group made up of authorities, including The Joint Commission, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The written opinion reiterates that you don’t need to see two signs at a given location (see item 4 on p. 2 of the document).
 



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