No specific requirements for security measures for generators
I saw a question on HCPro’s Patient Safety Talk listserv last week asking about whether The Joint Commission requires fencing around exterior generators.
There is no specific requirement in the EC standards regarding the means by which you would secure your generator and any associated equipment, pipes, etc. That said, there are a number of ways that you could be cited if a surveyor believes your security measures for the generator are inadequate, including provisions under:
- The emergency power Sentinel Event Alert
- The maintenance and care of the generators as a function of your utility systems management program
- Safety and/or security risk assessments
My recommendation would be to conduct a security risk assessment, identify any applicable vulnerabilities to things like vandalism, and then carry out strategies for appropriately managing the identified risks.
It may be that your organization decides some strategies make good sense from an operational reliability standpoint and some may not. So long as you document the decision process (with a dash of ongoing monitoring to ensure the chosen strategies are indeed effective), then you should be in good stead during survey.
There are no comments for this entry.
[Login to www.hospitalsafetycenter.com to Add Blog Comments]