ASHE Codes and Standards Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a healthcare facility, an Interim Life Safety Measure (ILSM) is implemented in response to which situation?
- Planned utility shutdowns
- Temporary impairment of a life safety feature (Correct answer)
- Routine fire drill scheduling
- Annual sprinkler system testing
Correct answer: Temporary impairment of a life safety feature
ILSMs are interim administrative and procedural measures taken to compensate when a life safety feature such as a fire door or sprinkler is temporarily out of service.
Question 2: Which federal regulation mandates that healthcare facilities establish and maintain a written fire safety management plan?
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38
- CMS Conditions of Participation 42 CFR 482.41 (Correct answer)
- EPA 40 CFR 261
- ADA 28 CFR 36
Correct answer: CMS Conditions of Participation 42 CFR 482.41
CMS Conditions of Participation under 42 CFR 482.41 require hospitals to maintain a physical environment that protects patient safety, including fire safety planning.
Question 3: The NEC (NFPA 70) Article 517 specifically addresses electrical installations in which type of location within healthcare facilities?
- Administrative offices
- Patient care areas (Correct answer)
- Mechanical equipment rooms
- Parking garages
Correct answer: Patient care areas
NEC Article 517 covers electrical requirements for patient care areas, including essential electrical systems, grounding, and receptacle requirements.
Question 4: Which organization publishes the standards for sterilization processes that healthcare facilities must follow per Joint Commission requirements?
- AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) (Correct answer)
- ASHE (American Society for Health Care Engineering)
- ASHRAE
- APIC
Correct answer: AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation)
AAMI publishes standards such as ST79 for steam sterilization and ST41 for ethylene oxide sterilization, which are referenced by TJC.
Question 5: According to NFPA 99, which gas is designated by a DISS (Diameter Index Safety System) connection to prevent misconnection at the outlet?
- Oxygen only
- Nitrous oxide only
- All piped medical gases (Correct answer)
- Carbon dioxide only
Correct answer: All piped medical gases
NFPA 99 requires DISS fittings for all piped medical gas outlets to prevent the connection of incorrect equipment and avoid potentially fatal mix-ups.
Question 6: Under NFPA 101, what is the maximum travel distance to an exit in a fully sprinklered healthcare occupancy?
- 150 feet
- 200 feet (Correct answer)
- 250 feet
- 300 feet
Correct answer: 200 feet
NFPA 101 allows a maximum travel distance of 200 feet to an exit in sprinklered healthcare occupancies.
Question 7: Which standard requires healthcare facilities to perform annual testing of emergency power supply systems (EPSS)?
- NFPA 110 (Correct answer)
- NFPA 72
- NFPA 25
- NFPA 13
Correct answer: NFPA 110
NFPA 110 covers emergency and standby power systems and requires annual load testing of generators and transfer switches used in EPSS.
ASHE Codes and Standards Compliance 3
In a healthcare facility, an Interim Life Safety Measure (ILSM) is implemented in response to which situation?