August 03, 2009 | Scott Wallask | Comments 0
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Immediate threats to life, Joint Commission style

During a keynote at the ASHE conference this afternoon, George Mills, senior engineer at The Joint Commission, outlined four immediate threats to life in the physical environment that tie into the top tier of criticality scoring:

  • Inoperable fire pump
  • Inoperable emergency generator
  • Fire alarm system not functioning
  • Medical gas alarm system not functioning

Any of these conditions would likely draw a citation from surveyors and possibly even an adverse accreditation decision from The Joint Commission.

Entry Information

Filed Under: Emergency management • Joint Commission • Life Safety Code

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swallask About the Author: Scott Wallask is senior managing editor for HCPro's Hospital Safety Center (www.hospitalsafetycenter.com) and the award-winning newsletters, Briefings on Hospital Safety and Healthcare Life Safety Compliance. He has written about healthcare for HCPro since 1998, with a focus on occupational and building safety, emergency management, fire protection, and infection control. Prior to joining HCPro, he worked as a reporter for several newspapers in eastern Massachusetts. He holds a BA in print journalism, magna cum laude, from Northeastern University in Boston. Contact Scott at swallask@hcpro.com.

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