ASHE Healthcare Facility Safety Questions and Answers

Question 1

A hospital is establishing a new water management program to comply with The Joint Commission standards. Which of the following is a mandatory initial step in developing this program?

Accepted Answer

Create a comprehensive diagram of the water system and conduct a risk assessment.

Answer

According to The Joint Commission's Environment of Care (EC) standard EC.02.05.02, a foundational requirement for a water management program is to first understand the system. This involves creating a basic diagram showing water sources, treatment systems, and key points of use, and then using this to conduct a risk assessment to identify where pathogens like Legionella could grow and spread.

Question 2

Per NFPA 99 and CGA C-9 standards for medical gas piping, what are the primary identifiers required on a pipe label?

Accepted Answer

The name of the gas or vacuum system and its corresponding standard color code.

Answer

NFPA 99 requires that medical gas and vacuum piping be clearly labeled. The standard specifies that these labels must, at a minimum, indicate the name of the gas or vacuum system (or its chemical symbol) and include the appropriate color code as designated by the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) standard C-9.

Question 3

A facility manager is reviewing the safety protocols for fire-rated door assemblies. According to NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, how often must these assemblies be inspected and tested?

Accepted Answer

On an annual basis.

Answer

NFPA 80, which is referenced by NFPA 101 and adopted by CMS, mandates that fire door assemblies must be inspected and tested at least annually. The standard also requires inspections after installation and after any maintenance work is performed on the assembly.

Question 4

A hospital's safety committee is developing a workplace violence prevention program based on OSHA guidelines. Which of the following is considered a core component of such a program?

Accepted Answer

Conducting a worksite analysis to identify existing or potential hazards.

Answer

OSHA's 'Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers' outlines five key building blocks for an effective program. A fundamental component is the worksite analysis, which involves a step-by-step assessment to find existing or potential hazards that may lead to violence. The other core components are management commitment/employee participation, hazard prevention and control, safety and health training, and recordkeeping/program evaluation.

Question 5

A hospital is performing required testing on its Essential Electrical System (EES). According to CMS and The Joint Commission, compliance for testing emergency power supply systems (EPSS) is primarily referenced from which standard?

Accepted Answer

NFPA 110, Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems

Answer

Both CMS and The Joint Commission require routine maintenance and operational testing of a facility's Essential Electrical System (EES). The specific requirements for the emergency power supply system (EPSS), which is part of the EES, are detailed in NFPA 110. This standard covers performance, maintenance, and testing criteria for the EPSS.

(ASHE) American Society for Health Care Engineering Certified Practice Test

(ASHE) American Society for Health Care Engineering Certified Practice Test

ASHE Healthcare Facility Safety Questions and Answers