Dry your eyes: Keeping ahead of the water(s)

One of the more ubiquitous findings in my travels are those relating to water infiltration/intrusion: peeling paint, stained ceiling tiles, pesky growths, etc.

And, not everybody gets to put on a new roof as often as they would like, so it ends up becoming a function of maintaining and managing your building in such a way as to minimize where water can impact your organization’s operations—from routine hassles to indoor air quality concerns. Michael Crandall, CIH, penned an article that I think might be of interest/use—you can check it out here.

Remember: In the confrontation between water and the rock, water always wins. Not through strength, but through persistence.

As a final note for this week, it might be worth your while to check out the June issue of Perspectives, which includes a missive (barely a missive, perhaps mini-missive) relating to the use of power strips (aka relocatable power taps—or the Notorious RTPs). Just over 20% of hospitals surveyed in 2018 were cited for issues with power strips, primarily: not having the appropriate devices in patient care areas; and power strips attached to walls in OR procedure rooms. As you may recall, CMS issued a categorical waiver, way back when, describing the requirements and, strangely enough, the attachment of power strips to walls in ORs is not considered a compliant approach. The thing that concerns me about that is a question of who did the install of the strips in the OR. I “get” that sometimes these things will migrate from wherever, by the hands of those who always remain nameless. But wall-mounted installations “smells” like the work of someone who should know better.

About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is also a contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.