CHC Professional Ethics & Legal Compliance 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CHC's superintendent observes a project inspector accepting cash from a subcontractor foreman during a routine inspection. The CHC's immediate ethical duty is to:
- Report the incident to the appropriate authority and document it in writing (Correct answer)
- Confront the foreman privately and demand the money be returned
- Ignore it since the inspector is not a company employee
- Inform the subcontractor's management only
Correct answer: Report the incident to the appropriate authority and document it in writing
Bribery of a public inspector is a criminal act; the CHC is ethically and often legally required to report such conduct to the appropriate authority.
Question 2: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) affects healthcare construction primarily because:
- Construction workers may inadvertently access areas where patient records or PHI are exposed, requiring site controls (Correct answer)
- Contractors must provide health insurance to all employees on-site
- Billing for construction services must use HIPAA-compliant transaction codes
- Construction contracts must be filed with the Department of Health and Human Services
Correct answer: Construction workers may inadvertently access areas where patient records or PHI are exposed, requiring site controls
During active hospital construction, workers can access areas where patient health information is visible, so CHCs must implement physical and procedural controls to prevent unauthorized PHI exposure.
Question 3: When a healthcare project requires an Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA), who is primarily responsible for ensuring it is implemented correctly on-site?
- The Certified Health Care Constructor in coordination with the infection control officer (Correct answer)
- The project architect alone
- The hospital's housekeeping department
- The local health department inspector
Correct answer: The Certified Health Care Constructor in coordination with the infection control officer
The CHC is responsible for field implementation of ICRA measures, working in coordination with the facility's infection control professionals to protect patients and staff during construction.
Question 4: A CHC is asked by the project owner to backdate a substantial completion certificate to avoid a penalty clause. The ethical response is to:
- Refuse, as falsifying project documents constitutes fraud and a serious ethical violation (Correct answer)
- Comply if the owner assumes full legal responsibility in writing
- Comply if the actual completion date was close to the requested date
- Consult with legal counsel and then comply if advised
Correct answer: Refuse, as falsifying project documents constitutes fraud and a serious ethical violation
Backdating official project documents is fraud regardless of the owner's request or how close the dates are, and no legal opinion can make it ethical.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes a conflict of interest situation a CHC must disclose?
- The CHC owns a stake in a material supplier bidding on the project (Correct answer)
- The CHC's employee has a family member working at the hospital being constructed
- A CHC employee previously worked for the design firm
- The CHC has built similar projects for this owner before
Correct answer: The CHC owns a stake in a material supplier bidding on the project
A financial interest in a supplier competing for project work creates a direct conflict of interest that must be disclosed to all parties before any award decision.
Question 6: Under OSHA regulations, a CHC's written Hazard Communication Program for a hospital renovation project must include:
- A list of hazardous chemicals on-site, Safety Data Sheets, and employee training records (Correct answer)
- Only emergency contact numbers for poison control centers
- Patient evacuation procedures for chemical spills
- Credentials of the hazardous materials consultant
Correct answer: A list of hazardous chemicals on-site, Safety Data Sheets, and employee training records
OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard requires a written program that includes a chemical inventory, access to Safety Data Sheets, and documentation of worker training.
Question 7: A CHC discovers a design error that could compromise patient safety if built as drawn. The project is behind schedule. The most ethical action is to:
- Stop the affected work, notify the design team in writing, and wait for a corrected detail before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Build per the drawings and document the concern in a field report
- Build a temporary fix and hope the engineer approves it later
- Proceed if the project owner verbally agrees to accept the risk
Correct answer: Stop the affected work, notify the design team in writing, and wait for a corrected detail before proceeding
Patient safety supersedes schedule concerns; the CHC must stop the affected work and obtain a formal design correction before proceeding.
CHC Professional Ethics & Legal Compliance 4
A CHC's superintendent observes a project inspector accepting cash from a subcontractor foreman during a routine inspection.
The CHC's immediate ethical duty is to: