I've yapped away here for a couple of months now. The warmth of the summer has faded, up here in the Northeast the vivid hues of autumn have also faded, and there are way more leaves on the ground than there are in the trees.

We've gone from a fair amount of certainty relative to all things safety to a pretty much wide open expanse of hope, denial, angst, expectation, questions, and answers. Our relatively calm little pool has been whipped into a froth of the unknown. So how are you going to spend the holidays?

When we started this little blogopoly (the spirit of M. Colbert lives), the intent was always to foment (or ferment--sometimes the vernacular gets a little fruity) a conversation for which I would periodically pitch some bon mots to keep the conversation going.

I have heard from some of you (keep those cards and letters coming), but it's time to see if we can draw some folks a little more out into the light of the blogosphere.

Earlier this month during an audioconference about the known Joint Commission EC changes afoot, we asked folks what they thought their most challenging issues would be in 2008. Now it's your turn.

What’s turning what little hair you have left to gray? What makes you linger almost lovingly in the antacid section of the big-box warehouse store?

See that little "Comments" link below my post? Click and register, and then you’ll be set up to post your thoughts to my query or any other topic I write about. It's time to stand up and be counted, heard, and recognized. We want this space to be yours, too.

Let's get ready to grumble!

Watch your temporary partitions during construction and renovation. Make sure the contractor understands the expectations, such as:

• "Smoke-tight" means, for all intents and purposes, no holes
• "Debris removal" means removing the debris, not piling it up until it’s in the way

Yes, I know that there are allowable gaps in certain circumstances, but do you want to split hairs with the construction folks over stuff like that? Me neither!

Hi folks --

It's Scott Wallask checking in. I just wanted to let all of you know that the "comments" function is finally up and running for Mac's Safety Space.

To post a comment, you need to log in as a subscriber or trial user to the Hospital Safety Center, though anyone can read the comments without logging in.

Please let us know what you think of Mac's postings by submitting a comment or share your experiences on a particular topic.

Thanks,

Scott W.

swallask@hcpro.com

Hi everyone –

It’s Scott Wallask checking in here at the Hospital Safety Center.

Those of you who use ISIS model elevators manufactured by ThyssenKrupp should read this story about a hospital that had an elevator failure in Seattle. Luckily, the elevator’s safety brakes worked and no one was injured.

ISIS models use Kevlar ropes that don’t require a machine room. In a letter available at the link above, ThyssenKrupp has outlined a series of actions it will take across the country in response to the hospital mishap.