Continuous Joint Commission Compliance: Responding to the 2006 Unannounced Survey Policy within the Environment of Care (168 kb)
In an effort to encourage hospitals to maintain a state of continuous compliance, The Joint Commission has announced a new policy of conducting unannounced surveys. This new policy will take effect January 2006, and clearly puts added pressure on healthcare institutions to strengthen their EOC programs and processes to ensure they are always ready for a compliance audit. The most common barriers to maintaining continuous compliance are...

Environmental Health & Safety Compliance in Laboratory Operations: Common Deficiencies Encountered During Audits (178 kb)
Environmental health and safety (EH&S) compliance programs for companies that house laboratories are complex and not easily maintained. Even the most basic plan involves keeping a variety of permits up-to-date, performing regular employee training, conducting inspections, complying with a myriad of chemical storage and handling requirements, and keeping a number of contingency plans current and complete. This white paper identifies the most common pitfalls and four simple steps to keeping your EH&S program current.

Managing Pharmaceutical Hazardous Waste in the Hospital (445 kb)
Recently, several hospitals and healthcare facilities have been cited by state and/or federal regulatory agencies for improperly disposing of pharmaceutical waste material. These citations have been applied to operations in both hospital pharmacies and patient care areas. This document outlines a six-step process for developing an effective and compliant Hazardous Waste Drug Program.

A "Six-Step Process" to Investigate and Prevent Laboratory Accidents (225 kb)
Laboratories are potentially dangerous work environments, and while proper training, engineering controls and administrative precautions can help to effectively manage risk, accidents can and do happen. Accidents, while unfortunate, present an opportunity to improve the performance of a laboratory safety program. EH&E has outlined a six step process for an effective laboratory accident investigation program that will help to identify root causes, prescribe appropriate corrective measures, and implement performance metrics to insure a safer workplace.

Three Proven Strategies for Upgrading Your Lab Environmental Health & Safety Program (2 mb)
By analyzing patterns in EH&S compliance deficiencies, we identified three systemic root causes of the vast majority of compliance issues. Our EH&S staff then developed strategies designed to address these root causes within several large research institutions and immediately experienced positive results. This whitepaper describes the three strategies used to improve program performance and summarizes the field results observed.

Infection Control in the Healthcare Environment during Construction (242 kb)
In April of 2001, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) issued directives in the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Health Care Facilities which formalized the "Infection Control Risk Assessment" (ICRA) process. Later that same year, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) adopted the AIA guidelines as part of their regulations and established an enforcement date of January 2002. Since that time, healthcare facilities have been required to use the AIA guidelines and to provide documentation of compliance. This white paper reviews the elements of compliance and identifies a solution for maintaining ICRA documentation that has been successfully implemented at a leading teaching and research hospital in the United States.

Biosafety Review Key to Infection Control (196 kb)
Companies and institutions with biological laboratories understand the importance of complying with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) biosafety guidelines and the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Yet remaining in compliance can be demanding as research and development efforts continue to expand into new areas. Conducting a laboratory review to ensure compliance with existing guidelines and standards is a valuable investment. This white paper outlines the biosafety review process and tells you how to maximize the benefits of your biosafety review.

The Role of Web-based Health and Safety Training in Laboratory Facilities (145 kb)
Employee health and safety training is an essential part of meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety Health Administration compliance requirements, and in a laboratory facility is especially important in maintaining a safe workplace for all employees. Maintaining the specialized health and safety training program necessary for a laboratory facility has a number of challenges. To illustrate the practical benefits of web-based training programs in the laboratory setting, this white paper reviews three case studies that describe how web training has been used at different institutions successfully.

Getting the Building You Paid For (331 kb)
This white paper describes a growing trend in the construction industry towards building being occupied prior to final systems completion. This invariably leads to significant cost to the owner. The issue is outlined, and a process described to minimize the problem through tracking of key contract deliverables during the construction process.

Getting a Better Performing Building Through Recommissioning (68 kb)
Commissioning of new construction is becoming increasingly accepted as a quality assurance tool to deliver performance, reliability, and efficiency in building systems. But what about existing building stock? If a building is meeting its functional requirements, can we assume optimal performance? The answer is no.

Haven't I Already Paid for This? (104 kb)
This is a question owners often ask when commissioning is discussed. However, a more relevant question is: did I get what I paid for?

Five Key Elements in Completing and Delivering Your Building to Expectations (290 kb)
Using a case study, this white paper focuses on the five key elements of building construction completion: installation, start-up, control, balance, and performance verification. It also discusses the relationship and resulting impact of the overlap of these five completion elements with the three stages of completion.

Natural Disaster Readiness Self-Assessment (64 kb)
This checklist is designed to assist in the identification of conditions that could jepordize the safety of a building and to protect a building and its contents from damage. In addition to calling out steps for improving building safety, this checklist can be used to prioritize decisions regarding building upgrades and maintenance.

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