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ASHE ALERTS
Rule Will Allow Hand-Sanitizer Dispensers
in Hospital Exit Corridors
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
yesterday issued an interim final rule that will allow hospitals
and other healthcare facilities to place alcohol-based hand-rub
dispensers in exit corridors as long as certain safety precautions
are met. The AHA and its American Society for Healthcare Engineering
have advocated for the change since 2003. An ASHE-commissioned
study demonstrated that the dispensers could be safety installed,
leading the National Fire Protection Association last year
to amend its Life Safety Code, which CMS enforces. "We
applaud CMS for taking this important step, which will give
healthcare workers greater access to the hand-rubs, improve
hand hygiene and ultimately save lives," said Dale Woodin,
ASHE deputy executive director. The rule, which goes into
effect May 24 following a 60-day comment period, also requires
nursing homes without a sprinkler system to install battery-operated
smoke detectors in resident rooms and public areas without
smoke detection systems. The rule will be published in today's
Federal Register.
On March 25, 2005, the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an Amendment to Fire
Safety Requirements for Certain Health Care Facilities, in
the Federal Register. Following public comment, this final
rule will have an effective date of May 24, 2005. This interim
final rule adopts the substance of the April 15, 2004 temporary
interim amendment (TIA) 00-1 (101), Alcohol Based Hand Rub
Solutions, an amendment to the 2000 edition of the Life Safety
Code, published by the NFPA. This amendment will allow certain
health care facilities to place alcohol-based hand rub dispensers
in egress corridors under specified conditions.
Click
here to see the entire advisory.The advisory tidentifies
the scope of this action, effective date, and the conditions
under which alcohol based hand rub dispensers may be installed
to assure compliance with CMS
FDA Seizes Potentially Deadly Hospital
Beds
According to a report in Reuters, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, citing a risk of suffocation,
ordered the seizure of enclosed hospital beds made by Vail
Products Inc. The FDA reported that it was aware of 30 people
who became trapped in the beds, seven of whom died. Officials
at Toledo, Ohio-based Vail Products could not be immediately
reached for comment by Reuters. The company's Web site says
the beds, used for clinical and home care, allow "the
patient to move about freely within a safe, padded environment."
The FDA said it directed U.S. marshals to seize all finished
Vail 500, 1000, and 2000 enclosed beds as well as components,
labeling and promotional materials for those models. The agency
said the beds are misbranded because they are dangerous when
used as recommended in the labeling. They also lack adequate
directions for use and adequate warnings, it said. The FDA
said Vail Products failed or refused to furnish requested
information, and inspections show that the company has continually
failed to follow quality requirements.
NFPA proposal for annual testing of
fire and smoke dampers is defeated - ASHE member’s grass
roots advocacy is credited for the reversal
The NFPA 90A committee proposal to increase
testing of dampers from every four years to annual testing
was defeated in the January 2005 vote of the technical committee.
This stunning reversal (the proposal had originally been accepted
by a vote of 20-2) was a direct result of the comments submitted
by 753 ASHE members. In rendering this decision the committee
stated: “The committee appreciates the damper reliability
data gathered by the healthcare industry during the comment
period” and “Data provided by the health care industry
indicated the reliability of dampers when properly installed”.
NFPA identified four
reasons for rejecting the proposal (these reasons were consistently
identified in the comments):
- No data was provided by the submitter of the proposal
substantiating the need for increased frequency of testing
- Low failure rate of dampers during testing, particularly
during subsequent testing cycles. Most hospitals reported
a 2-3% failure rate on the second or third cycle (often
improper installation was identified a the reason for failure
during initial testing)
- The testing process raises dust and may cause increased
risk of infection to susceptible patients.
- The increased cost (4X) is prohibitive given the small
failure rate.
Doug Erickson and Dale Woodin represented ASHE
members at technical committee meeting (December 8-11, 2004)
to encourage the committee’s review of the data and discussion
that led to the rejection of the proposal. The ASHE member
data substantiated the argument that, when dampers are installed
properly, and not damaged during maintenance or renovation
work, they are not typically prone to failure. In recognition
of this finding, the committee developed new code language
allowing routine damper testing in healthcare organizations
to be extended to every six years provided that acceptance
testing is performed on all newly installed or repaired dampers
or where work on the duct system is performed within 6 ft
of a damper.
The value of the industry-supplied data in
improving this testing standard cannot be overstated. There
is a direct cause and effect relationship between the data
supplied in ASHE member comments and the recognition that
routine testing frequency can be reduced without reducing
patient safety or device performance. The success of this
process opens the door for further opportunities to evaluate
routine testing requirements of other fire safety devices
and systems up against their actual performance. Please take
a moment to review the list of 753 ASHE members who took the
time and effort to supply comments - and then recognize their
grass roots contribution next time you see them at your chapter
meeting or at the ASHE Annual Conference. Because of their
work, the technical committee had the right information to
make the right decision.
For more alerts and advisories from ASHE, visit
their website at www.ashe.org
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