October is the time to review fire safety
Hospital Safety Insider, October 9, 2014
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Hospital Safety Insider!
Fires in hospitals are not a common occurrence, and they are designed that way. Since a great majority of the occupants of a hospital are usually non-ambulatory and are unable to evacuate themselves in the event of a fire, facilities are generally built with a shelter-in-place mentality. Fire doors, fireproof materials, and compartmentalized designs are used to contain a fire and its resulting smoke.
In addition, as part of the accreditation process, The Joint Commission requires hospitals to show equipment is in good working order and to practice fire drills on a regular basis.
Still, hospitals are not immune from the dangers of fire. According to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there were 6,240 fires on healthcare properties from 2006 to 2010 (the latest numbers available), resulting in six civilian deaths, 171 civilian injuries, and $52.1 million in direct property damage. Of those, almost a quarter of the fires were in hospitals or hospices, and cooking equipment caused a majority of those fires (61%), followed by laundry equipment as a distant second, about 10%.
The NFPA has designated October 5-11 as National Fire Prevention Week, and no doubt you spend lots of time as your facility's safety expert keeping fire safety on the forefront. Our safety experts helped us a compile a list of some of the most overlooked fire hazards in the hospital environment.
This is an excerpt from an article in the October issue of Briefings on Hospital Safety. Visit here to log in or subscribe.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Hospital Safety Insider!
Related Products
-
Hospital Safety Center
Improve compliance with hospital safety standards from The Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulators with this...
-
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
Created exclusively for healthcare facility managers, plant operations professionals, and directors of engineering, this...
-
Hospital Safety Insider
Stay on top of hospital safety requirements and best practices with our free, fast-paced weekly update.
-
Basic OSHA Compliance Manual Kit
Total compliance has never been easier. This one convenient package contains everything you need to ensure your outpatient...
-
Basic Dental OSHA Compliance Manual Kit
Total compliance has never been easier. This one convenient package contains everything you need to ensure your dental...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Don't forget the three checks in medication administration
- Note similarities and differences between HCPCS, CPT® codes
- Q&A: Primary, principal, and secondary diagnoses
- Practice the six rights of medication administration
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- Prevent dehydration with nursing interventions
- Complications from immobility by body system
- Nursing responsibilities for managing pain
- Neurological checks for head injuries
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- E-mailed
-
- Q&A: Accounting for SOI/ROM in neonatal death
- Prequalify patients for hyperbaric oxygen therapy to ensure accurate reimbursement
- Order with no diagnosis code
- Note from the instructor: Update to the CMS Post-Acute Transfer Policy Qualifying DRGs
- Note from the Instructor: Provider-Based vs. Freestanding Locations: Financials Flip-flop with New Packaging
- Insider’s scoop | Verbal orders
- Developing shared governance unit-council bylaws
- Coding Corner: Tips for reporting bronchoscopy procedures
- Clear up confusion surrounding medical necessity
- Breaking down the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute
- Searched
