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Sample checklist for EC 5.40, part 1

Emergency Management Alert, October 16, 2007

Staying up to date with The Joint Commission's standard EC.5.40, which requires hospitals to maintain "fire-safety equipment and building features," is really about paying attention to every facet of the standard, says Jodi Eisenberg, CPMSM, CPHQ, program manager of accreditation and clinical compliance at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She and Elizabeth Di Giacomo-Geffers, RN, MPH, CNAA, BC, a healthcare consultant in Trabuco Canyon, CA, spoke to HCPro, Inc., editors this month about  how to handle EC.5.40 and other problematic Joint Commission standards. One tool they recommended is this checklist:

EC.5.40
EP 3: Test off-premises emergency services notification transmission equipment quarterly.

Survey highlights:

 Did you discuss process and detail of the test?
 Can you show evidence that the transmission equipment was received and verified?
 Is the system and service provider certified and/or Underwriters Laboratories listed?
 Do you have line integrity or a "McCullough"-like circuit system?
 Was the system out of service for any period of time?
 Were interim life safety measures necessary?
 Do you have two independent means of signaling (phone lines)?
 Did you refer to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72?

Source: The Joint Commission's Life Safety Survey: Demonstrated Techniques to Avoid Pitfalls, by Thomas Salamone, director of safety, security fire prevention, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, CT, and Thomas Huser, MS, CHSP, Clarian Health, Indianapolis.

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