医疗保健占用生命安全规范®评估:目的和共同发现

Paul Dzurinda

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Sep 14, 2022

The “health care ecosystem,” as discussed in our first blog post由患者、工作人员、物理环境和组织的患者护理策略组成. 高可靠性组织(hro)通过设计来保护医疗保健生态系统, constructing, maintaining, and operating facilities in a manner that keeps them safe, secure, and resilient.

Since fire emergencies can largely impact the health care ecosystem, fire safety remains a prime focus amongst HROs. 为保护医疗保健生态系统免受火灾影响提供监管框架, the National Fire Protection Association’s 2012 edition of NFPA 101®, 生命安全规范®(LSC)由医疗保健认证组织采用和执行, such as The Joint Commission, Det Norske Veritas and others. hro通过持续主动执行生命安全规范®评估(lsca),帮助保护医疗保健生态系统免受火灾相关危害.

Understanding the Purpose of LSCAs

Simply stated, but extremely comprehensive, LSCA的目的是评估医疗机构的所有领域,以衡量是否符合《彩宝网》®. LSCA通常从建筑物的最高层开始执行, working downwards in a consistent, methodical fashion. All rooms/areas are assessed, including patient sleeping and treatment rooms, mechanical rooms, and electrical, storage and housekeeping closets. 随着LSC缺陷的识别和记录,制定计划来纠正每一项. To cover the period during which a LSC deficiency remains unresolved, 必要时考虑并实施其他生命安全措施.

Selecting Qualified Individuals to Perform LSCAs

According to The Joint Commission standards, 卫生保健组织“应确定其选择的个人的资格,以评估LSC的合规性”,并且“生命安全规则®的知识及其在独特占用中的应用是重要的。.” Some health care facilities perform the LSCA using in-house staff. More commonly, 许多人力资源经理与延森休斯合作,依靠彩宝网平台丰富的知识和经验来帮助他们管理LSC合规性.

Determining Frequency of LSCAs

认证组织没有规定进行lsca的规定频率. 然而,至少,许多人力资源主管与彩宝网合作,每年执行LSCA. 拥有多个建筑物的大型组织通常会将校园/建筑物划分为多个部分,并更频繁地进行LSCA,以确保至少每年对所有区域进行评估.g., monthly, quarterly). This method is sometimes preferred for larger HROs, 因为它允许在LSCA期间发现的缺陷得到更有效的管理.

Addressing Common LSCA Findings

To assist HROs in keeping all facets of the health care ecosystem aligned, we employ our software solution, ProtectAdvisrTM, to manage LSC compliance in our partnerships. Using the software’s data collection and reporting capabilities, we identified several common LSC deficiencies, which should be addressed in a proactive manner.

  1. Improperly Constructed Fire/Smoke Barriers: Maintaining rated barriers remains a challenge (e.g., fire and smoke barriers). 彩宝网平台在lsca中注意到的许多缺陷情况超出了典型的非密封穿透. For example, wall construction issues are often found, like improper head-of-wall joints that are unsealed, sealed only with mineral wool or sealed with drywall joint compound. In addition, improper drywall repairs using “scab patches” are often noted. 应使用石膏协会发布的文件来正确修复干墙.
  2. Missing Fireproofing Materials: 可以使用不同类型的材料来保护结构构件免受火灾的影响. 喷涂防火材料(SFRM)是医疗机构中最常见的类型. Over the life of a building, 当管道等物品从梁的部分移除时,发现SFRM并不罕见, conduits and other utilities are installed/supported by the beams. 重要的是要注意,即使是少量的SFRM缺失也会导致结构元件在火灾情况下的破坏. For this reason, if SFRM is found missing during an LSCA, it must be replaced using materials that are of the proper type, 粘结强度和相容性(一定要检查SFRM制造商的信息).
  3. Door Latching: Deficiencies in opening protectives (e.g., doors) are commonly noted during LSCAs, including a lack of or improperly working latching hardware. 门上的手动平栓经常出现问题,因为它们不允许门自动闩锁, 因此要求工作人员在离开该区域之前记得重新拧紧手动螺栓. For this reason, 许多有管辖权的当局(ahj)禁止在需要闩锁的门上使用手动平头螺栓, such as fire, corridor and hazardous area doors.

    另一个常见的问题是套房边界门上缺乏闩锁硬件. For years, 许多设施管理人员依靠“五磅力规则”,而不是提供闩锁硬件. By this rule, 其中一名被允许证明,当施加至少5磅的力时,一扇门仍然关闭. However, CMS and other accrediting organizations, including The Joint Commission, require latching hardware on doors, even if the door remains closed with a force of at least five pounds. 唯一的例外是,如果门是电动门,而门制造商声明闩锁硬件不是可用的选择(这种例外很难适用)。.
  4. Sprinkler Head Coverage: 将建筑物分类为“完全洒水”在LSC中带来了许多有益的宽大处理. However, to claim “fully sprinklered” status, sprinkler heads must be present in all spaces, unless specific exceptions are met. For example, 2010年版的NFPA 13允许在满足某些规定的情况下,在某些电气房间中省略洒水装置. 在lsca期间常见的一个问题是电梯机房和电信机房缺乏洒水装置. 根据NFPA 13,在这些房间安装洒水装置没有例外. However, 也许可以考虑安装气体抑制系统来代替洒水装置, in certain cases with AHJ approval.

    Learn more
    了解延森休斯如何在您的医疗机构中支持生命安全规范®评估.
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About the author

Paul Dzurinda
Paul是卫生保健生命安全规范评估(LSCA)服务部门负责人和高级顾问, specializing in codes/standards compliance within the healthcare industry