Inaccessible dampers bring with them long-term ILSMs
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, June 1, 2009
This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Healthcare Life Safety Compliance.
It’s well known that The Joint Commission grants leeway to hospitals when it comes to operational testing of smoke and fire dampers that are inaccessible because of building features or other physical limitations.
But what you might not know is that if you choose not to test inaccessible dampers, you may need to carry out long-term interim life safety measures to offset any risks.
Here’s why: Joint Commission standard EC.02.03.05 requires hospitals to test dampers one year after installation and every six years thereafter. The purpose of the test is to verify that a damper fully closes, thus helping to protect occupants should fire occur or smoke appear in an area.
This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Healthcare Life Safety Compliance.
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