All Entries Tagged With: "electrical safety"

Breaker, breaker…

Recently I received a question from a colleague regarding a survey finding an RFI under EC.02.05.01, performance element numero 7, which requires hospitals to map the distribution of its utility systems. The nature of the finding was that there was an electrical panel in which the panel schedule did not accurately reflect the status of the breakers contained therein.

My guess is that there was a breaker labeled as a “spare” that was in the “on” position, which is a pretty common finding if one should choose to look for such a condition. At any rate, the finding went on to outline that staff were unaware of the last time the mapping of the electrical distribution was verified. The question thus became: How often do we need to be verifying panel schedules, since the standard doesn’t specify and there is no supporting FAQ, etc., to provide guidance.

Now, first, I don’t know that this would be the most appropriate place to cite this condition; my preference would be for EP #8, which requires the labeling of utility systems controls to facilitate partial or complete emergency shutdowns, but I digress. Strictly speaking, any time any work is done in an electrical panel, the panel schedule should be verified for accuracy, which means that any breaker that is in the “on” position should be identified as such on the panel schedule. This is not specifically a Joint Commission requirement, but I think that we can agree that the concept, once one settles the matter as a function of logic and appropriate risk management behavior, “lives” in NFPA 70 the National Electrical Code®.

As I noted above, unfortunately, this is a very easy survey finding if the surveyor looks at enough panels; it is virtually impossible to not have at least one breaker in the “on” position that is identified on the panel schedule as a spare or not identified at all. That said, if you get cited for this, you are probably going to have to wrestle with this at some point and your facilities folks are going to have to come up with a process for managing this risk, as it’s really not safe to have inaccurately labeled electrical panels.

As to a desired frequency, without having any sense of how many panels are involved, which would be a key indicator for how often the folks would be able to reasonably assure compliance (a concept not very far away from the building maintenance program [BMP] concept), it’s tough to predict what would be sufficient. That said, the key compliance element remains who has access to the electrical panels. From my experience, the problem with the labeling of the breakers comes about when someone pops a breaker and tries to reset it without reaching out to the facilities folks. Someone just goes flipping things back and forth until the outlet is working again (floor buffing machine operators are frequent offenders in this regard).

From a practical standpoint, I think the thing to do in the immediate (if it’s not already occurred) is to condcut a survey of all the panels to establish a baseline and go from there, paying particular attention to the breakers that are not properly labeled in the initial survey. Those are the breakers I’d try to secure a little better, just to make sure that they are not accessible by folks who shouldn’t be monkeying around with them. Another unfortunate aspect of this problem is that both EP 7 and EP 8 are “A” performance elements, so it’s a one-strike-and-you’re-out scenario. Certainly worth a look-see, perhaps during hazard surveillance rounds.

So many panels, so little time…

Massachusetts facility fined for electrical safety issues

Northeast Hospital Corp., located in Beverly, MA, is facing a $63,000 fine after an investigation by OSHA.

The investigation was prompted by a worker’s complaint that hospital employees didn’t have or use personal protective equipment when handling electrical equipment.

OSHA also found that the hospital’s electrical protective equipment wasn’t tested regularly and electrical safety procedures were not executed properly.

OSHA issued a repeat citation for failing to prove unused openings in electrical panels and cabinet motor control centers had been closed since being cited in May 2010

The facility has 15 business days from the day of its citation, February 15, to comply with hospital safety standards.

What practices does your facility follow in electrical safety? Let us know in our comment section.

Be wary of pitfalls related to electrical outlet protection for children

When it comes to the protection of electrical outlets in units, there is a fairly finite group that you need to consider who are at risk to accidentally (pediatrics) or purposely (psych) shock themselves if the receptacle provides no protection against their doing so.

Beyond pedi and pysch units, other spots to consider are those common areas in which you might have kids, either as patients or visitors.

For instance, if I go into an ED waiting room and I see [more]