Safety

Safety Articles by Topic: Environment of Care

Mac’s Safety Space: Be wary about using fire drills as emergency management tests

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 45, November 4, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Take our anonymous Joint Commission poll; results to be published in free report

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 45, November 4, 2009

    If your hospital underwent a Joint Commission survey in 2009, we want to hear from you about how...

Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, November 2009

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 11, November 1, 2009

    Healthcare Life Safety Compliance exclusively covers life safety issues in healthcare facilities...

Educate employees about the risks of using robotics

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 11, November 1, 2009

    Confirm all employees who work with robotics have received proper education about the use and...

Survey monitor: Surveyors zoom in on testing and a locked egress door

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 11, November 1, 2009

    During this Joint Commission visit, surveyors looked at glucometers in a lab, air-handler test...

A drill reveals lessons on evacuating cancer patients

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 11, November 1, 2009

    The principle of pushing an exercise to the breaking point often comes up in terms of healthcare...

Joint Commission: Smoke-free campuses will be the norm soon—ideas abound for execution and enforcement

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 11, November 1, 2009

    A report by The Joint Commission makes a bold prediction: The majority of U.S. hospitals will have...

Hospital Safety Center, November 2009

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 11, November 1, 2009

    Briefings on Hospital Safety is the industry leader in covering The Joint Commission, OSHA, and...

Tip of the week: Get a head start on annual EC reviews

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 43, October 21, 2009

    EC.04.01.01 requires hospitals to monitor the environment of care by collecting information, which...

Mac’s Safety Space: Joint Commission offers guidance, but no mandates, for patient-owned items

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 43, October 21, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Tip of the week: You decide whether to lock electrical panels

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 42, October 13, 2009

    The Joint Commission has no requirements for hospitals to lock electrical panels. However, an...

Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, October 2009

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 10, October 1, 2009

    Healthcare Life Safety Compliance exclusively covers life safety issues in healthcare facilities...

Explore the outside standards cited within EC chapter

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 10, October 1, 2009

    It seems like enough work to know The Joint Commission’s EC standards, but are you up on all...

Expect continued survey focus on life safety compliance

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 10, October 1, 2009

    In our report from the annual ASHE conference, we look at why life safety compliance will continue...

Hospital Safety Center, October 2009

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 10, October 1, 2009

    Briefings on Hospital Safety is the industry leader in covering The Joint Commission, OSHA, and...

Joint Commission uses D icons for documents, at times

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 10, October 1, 2009

    The Joint Commission marks individual elements of performance with a circled “D” icon...

Mac’s Safety Space: Risk assessments are the way to go with power strip use

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 40, September 30, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Explore the outside standards cited within the EC chapter

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 39, September 23, 2009

    It seems like enough work to know The Joint Commission’s environment of care standards, but...

Mac’s Safety Space: Behavioral settings are tailor-made for risk assessments

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 38, September 16, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Mac’s Safety Space: Extra fire drill as part of The Joint Commission’s ILSMs

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 37, September 9, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

It’s not too late to join us for our newest approach to life safety education

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 37, September 9, 2009

    We’re just two weeks away from Life Safety Code Solutions for Hospitals, a convenient...

Examine risks and solutions related to Pseudomonas

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 9, September 1, 2009

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria that—like Legionella —lives in water pipes as...

Hospital Safety Center, September 2009

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 9, September 1, 2009

    Briefings on Hospital Safety is the industry leader in covering The Joint Commission, OSHA, and...

Older building proves ripe for life safety scrutiny

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 9, September 1, 2009

    As part of an old facility, Oregon State Hospital’s (OSH) Portland and Salem behavioral...

Hospital Safety Center Symposium sessions now available as $99 audio recordings

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 35, August 26, 2009

    Those of you who were unable to attend our 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium in May can...

Mac’s Safety Space: Alarm transmission options are tight when it comes to fire drill requirements

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 34, August 19, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

While not a regulation, ANSI eyewash standard wields influence

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 34, August 19, 2009

    What is “tepid” water? For the purposes of eyewash safety, the American National...

Tip of the week: An informal assignment from The Joint Commission

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 33, August 12, 2009

    A Joint Commission official assigned all attendees of the American Society for Healthcare...

Hospital Safety Center, August 2009

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 8, August 1, 2009

    Briefings on Hospital Safety is the industry leader in covering The Joint Commission, OSHA, and...

Confessions of a former life safety specialist: Corridor clutter is among common tour snags

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 8, August 1, 2009

    Corridor clutter is always on the radar for surveyors. Gone is the old myth that you are allowed to...

Survey monitor: HVA and other disaster preparations receive scrutiny

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 8, August 1, 2009

    The Joint Commission’s 2009 life safety and emergency management chapters have proven to be...

Cut your energy bills with these award-winning ideas

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 8, August 1, 2009

    What does going full tilt on environmentally green efforts get you, really, in this economy? A...

Upcoming events will educate you about life safety and emergency management

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 30, July 22, 2009

    HCPro has two brand new seminars coming up in the fall that you’ll want to check out:

Life safety deficiencies top 2008’s citation list, says The Joint Commission

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 30, July 22, 2009

    It won’t take long for this cheery news to reach your bosses: Life Safety Code (LSC...

Mac’s Safety Space: Watch out for the ’E’ in your RACE procedures

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 29, July 15, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Discrepancy in EC.02.03.05?: Joint Commission test appears to conflict with NFPA 25

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 7, July 1, 2009

    : As some of you may have noticed, The Joint Commission’s provisions for main drain tests...

Joint Commission test appears to conflict with NFPA 25

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 26, June 24, 2009

    In an exclusive story from HCPro, it appears The Joint Commission?s provisions for main drain tests...

Mac’s Safety Space: PI ’til you’re PO’d

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 24, June 10, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Tip of the week: Get worker input about new medical equipment

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 23, June 3, 2009

    Under EC.02.04.01, The Joint Commission requires hospitals to manage medical equipment risks.

Briefings on Hospital Safety, June 2009

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 6, June 1, 2009

    Briefings on Hospital Safety is the industry leader in covering The Joint Commission, OSHA, and...

Some hospitals will get Joint Commission life safety specialists for three days

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 22, May 27, 2009

    Particularly large healthcare facilities now face the possibility of hosting a life safety...

Tip of the week: Keep late-night fire drills hush-hush

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 21, May 20, 2009

    It’s well known that the Life Safety Code and Joint Commission standard EC.02.03.03 require...

Mac’s Safety Space: iPods and device interference -- and how many downloaded songs does Mac have?

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 21, May 20, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Mac’s Safety Space: Two approaches--or maybe more?--to thwarting latex balloons

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 19, May 12, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Mac’s Safety Space: Hazmat inventory provisions under EC.02.02.01

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 18, May 6, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Door gaps and wire tied to sprinkler brace grab notice

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 5, May 1, 2009

    The life safety specialist who visited Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, FL, was a former Air...

Briefings on Hospital Safety May 2009

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 5, May 1, 2009

    Briefings on Hospital Safety is the industry leader in covering The Joint Commission, OSHA, and...

Keep new technology leashed until you learn its behavior

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 5, May 1, 2009

    Given the Obama administration’s goal of improving healthcare information technology systems...

Mac’s Safety Space: What The Joint Commission says about housekeeping activities

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 14, April 8, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Documentation and doors remain survey trouble spots

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 4, April 1, 2009

    To nip potential Joint Commission problems before they become bigger, you may want to immediately...

Mac’s Safety Space: Wag the magnet: An MRI cleaning tale

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 11, March 18, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Mac’s Safety Space: The best EC performance indicators stem from challenges

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 10, March 11, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Take a look at what's new online at the Hospital Safety Center

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 10, March 11, 2009

    We’ve uploaded great new content to the Hospital Safety Center...

Symposium spotlight: We've extended our early bird discount and reduced room rates

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 10, March 11, 2009

    Good news for those of you who want to attend HCPro’s 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center...

Tip of the week: You determine ID badge policies, says The Joint Commission

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 9, March 4, 2009

    In an FAQ released earlier this year, The Joint Commission outlined its expectations for staff ID...

Mac’s Safety Space: Getting clinicians to see the importance of unobstructed fire safety equipment

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 9, March 4, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Life safety violations top The Joint Commission's most cited standards list

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 9, March 4, 2009

    In a statistic that can only be bad news for hospitals, the former EC.5.20 was the most cited Joint...

The weapons dilemma: Should you arm security?

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 3, March 1, 2009

    The threat of weapons inside a hospital is a terrifying scenario for any safety officer. Yet every...

Roof fire offers insights to fine-tune your response plans

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 3, March 1, 2009

    A fire on the roof of a New Hampshire hospital proved the need to keep tabs on projects involving...

Drill for scenarios in which someone brandishes a gun

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 3, March 1, 2009

    When someone brandishes a gun in a hospital, there are several keys to avoiding injuries and deaths.

Mac’s Safety Space: Ahh, the fact and fiction about blanket warmer temperatures

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 8, February 25, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

The Joint Commission updates Survey Activity Guide

  • Emergency Management Alert, Issue 8, February 24, 2009

    Two weeks ago we told you about how the Joint Commission’s internal Surveyor Survey Activity...

Mac’s Safety Space: Safety education for LIPs doesn’t have to center on test scores

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 7, February 18, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Symposium spotlight: Dean Samet will explain The Joint Commission's new criticality scoring

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 7, February 18, 2009

    As the weeks count down to the 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium May 14-15 at Caesars...

The Joint Commission updates its public Survey Activity Guide

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 7, February 18, 2009

    Two weeks ago we told you how The Joint Commission’s internal Surveyor Survey Activity Guide...

Tip of the week: If budget cuts come calling, prioritize security training for staff members

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 6, February 11, 2009

    In this period of potential cutbacks in training budgets, one quick idea for security education is...

Mac’s Safety Space: The use of safety vests by snow-clearing workers hinges on risk assessment

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 6, February 11, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Mac’s Safety Space: If your emergency prep is good, don’t sweat Joint Commission survey guide changes

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 5, February 4, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

EC tracer is now part of formal survey agenda, says internal Joint Commission guide

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 5, February 4, 2009

    As we first reported in Mac’s Safety Space on Tuesday, an internal guide given to surveyors...

Mac’s Safety Space: Though EPA is proposing pharmaceutical waste changes, pay attention to your state

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 4, January 28, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

There's still time to submit comments about relaxed pharmaceutical waste proposal

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 4, January 28, 2009

    February 2 is the deadline for hospital safety professionals and others to submit their comments...

Mac’s Safety Space: New Joint Commission FAQs should prompt a critical review

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 3, January 21, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

EC competency provisions are now officially back on your plate

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 2, January 14, 2009

    Don’t forget that as of January 1, safety competency requirements for staff members have...

Mac’s Safety Space: Some thoughts about The Joint Commission’s new EPs

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 1, January 7, 2009

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Our new online sections explain the 2009 physical environment standards

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 1, January 7, 2009

    Speaking of Joint Commission compliance, platinum subscribers to the Hospital Safety Center now...

Even more Joint Commission changes occur to the standards

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 1, January 7, 2009

    As we reported earlier this week in Mac’s Safety Space, The Joint Commission released a...

Avoid violence in the emergency department

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 1, January 1, 2009

    Ask any hospital safety director and they will tell you violence in the ED is becoming an...

Hospital finds life safety, disaster prep reviews helpful

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 1, January 1, 2009

    Atlantic City, NJ, may be known for its casinos, but Larry Sweeney—AtlantiCare’s...

Ring in 2009 with a better emergency preparedness plan

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 1, January 1, 2009

    As of January 1, 2009, The Joint Commission will break out emergency management into its own...

Sentinel Event Alert about technology risks may trickle down to you

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 51, December 17, 2008

    On December 11, The Joint Commission released a Sentinel Event Alert about how safety interacts...

Upcoming regulations will affect hospitals' day-to-day operations

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 51, December 17, 2008

    The end of the year brings an important Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) change and new Joint...

Mac’s Safety Space: Curiously, the EC standards aren’t mentioned in the new Sentinel Event Alert

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 51, December 17, 2008

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Tip of the week: Watch for a slight twist in your surveillance rounds

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 50, December 9, 2008

    Hospital safety officers have long been familiar with required hazard surveillance rounds required...

Mac’s Safety Space: EC plans should reflect your risk management process

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 50, December 9, 2008

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Patient wanders to a hospital roof and dies outside

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 50, December 9, 2008

    The family of a dementia patient is wondering why the woman got out of her room at a Pittsburgh...

Tip of the week: Check the status of your kitchen hoods

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 49, December 3, 2008

    A few weeks back, we read about a hospital that received some unwanted surveyor attention related...

Mac’s Safety Space: When security gets drafted into caregiving mode

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 48, December 3, 2008

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Specialty hospital recovers after document slipups

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 12, December 1, 2008

    SIR doesn’t have everything in common with large, acute care hospitals. The facility...

Peel apart the distinctions of the 2009 EC standards

  • Hospital Safety Center, Issue 12, December 1, 2008

    You’ve probably spent a good chunk of this year getting ready for The Joint...

Life safety citations play a big role in lingering struggle

  • Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, Issue 12, December 1, 2008

    In an example of the long-term ramifications behind requirements for improvement (RFI) from The...

Update: California hospital loses power

  • Emergency Management Alert, Issue 45, November 25, 2008

    Last week, you may have read an article in this publication about a fire at Olive View-UCLA Medial...

Medical center quick to react to an odd potential mercury exposure

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 48, November 19, 2008

    Workers at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Boise, ID, dealt with an unusual mercury threat last...

Wildfires and total power loss test a California hospital

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 48, November 19, 2008

    Wildfires that have been raging in Southern California created problems for Olive View-UCLA Medical...

Suspect in alleged patient assault slips by authorities

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 47, November 12, 2008

    Authorities in Scranton, PA, are looking for a man who allegedly fondled a patient at Mercy...

Mac’s Safety Space: Document all your ILSM assessments--even if you don’t implement an ILSM

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 46, November 5, 2008

    Join Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, as he offers advice and best...

Observe an upcoming change in fuel requirements for EM.02.02.09

  • Hospital Safety Connection, Issue 46, November 5, 2008

    As you fine-tune your emergency operations plans, note a slight change in wording that will aid you...

Safety problems play role in lost accreditation for NC hospital

  • Emergency Management Alert, Issue 33, September 2, 2008

    A state psychiatric hospital in North Carolina has lost its Joint Commission accreditation in part...