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Your guide to the equipment and alarm systems that keep your facility compliant

Hospital Safety Insider, September 15, 2016

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Hospitals are intended to be a place where people get well, so a fire is an environmental service director's worst nightmare. But fires happen more often than you think. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in 2012 there were 99,500 nonresidential fires in businesses, resulting in 65 deaths and 1,525 injuries. While only one of those deaths was in a hospital, it's still one too many. Indeed, NFPA's publication Fires in Health Care Facilities indicates that between 2006 and 2010, healthcare properties were subject to approximately 6,240 structure fires each year.

Properly maintained fire protection equipment reduces the risk of loss, but there are many things that can make equipment noncompliant or even render it inoperable. When your equipment isn't functioning properly, you put your building occupants at risk and increase the chances of being fined for a violation.

Simply having fire protection equipment in place at your facility isn't enough. Fire code violations can include anything from improperly installed equipment to a missed service date. Periodic testing, inspection, and maintenance are crucial to guarantee the equipment will function properly in the event of an emergency. By conducting an assessment of your facility and keeping an eye out for common fire code violations, you can improve your fire protection program and avoid unnecessary fines.

This is an excerpt from the monthly healthcare safety resource Healthcare Life Safety Compliance. Subscribers can read the rest of the article here. Non-subscribers can find out more about the journal, its benefits, and how to subscribe by clicking here.

 

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