Next, we recommend you conduct a self-assessment against the new standards to evaluate your current level of compliance. How to Prepareįirst, make your Facilities Director aware of these new requirements. For organizations accredited under the Behavioral Health Care & Human Services manual, the Behavioral Health surveyor will review compliance. They will not review administrative settings where there are no client services.įor hospital surveys, the clinical surveyors – not the Life Safety Specialist – will review business occupancies for compliance. Joint Commission surveyors will only review business occupancies for compliance in locations where services are provided to clients. The standards include requirements for means of egress, smoke/fire barriers, electrical panels, corridor widths, and fire extinguishers, among other items Survey Process LS.05.01.34: Maintaining fire alarm systems.LS.05.01.30: Protecting individuals from hazards of fire and smoke.LS.05.01.20: Maintaining the integrity of the means of egress.LS.05.01.10: Building maintained to minimize effects of fire, smoke, and heat.To summarize, there are five new standards and 29 elements of performance: The new Life Safety standards for business occupancies are the same in both the Hospital and Behavioral Health manuals. The only difference is the Hospital manual refers to “hospitals” and the Behavioral Health manual refers to “organizations.” New Joint Commission Life Safety Requirements In behavioral health settings, examples of locations classified as business occupancies are outpatient clinics, partial hospitalization programs, and intensive outpatient programs. For the purpose of the occupancy definition, the fact that a person is in a wheelchair does not make him/her incapable of self- preservation. “Incapable of self-preservation” means that in the event of fire, a person is not able to leave the building on his/her own (even if it requires the use of a wheelchair). The Life Safety Code defines occupancy as “the purpose for which a building or portion thereof is used or intended to be used.” In healthcare settings, the definition of a Business Occupancy is “a facility where no one stays overnight and where three or fewer individuals are rendered incapable of self-preservation at any given time by virtue of their treatment.” Thus, this is the first time surveyors will review business occupancies for compliance with Life Safety standards. Medical Facilities (including psychiatric hospitals)Ĭurrently, Joint Commission Life Safety standards address health care occupancies, ambulatory health care occupancies, and residential board and care occupancies – not business occupancies. The Code has various occupancy classifications for healthcare facilities: The standards in the Life Safety chapter (of the Hospital and Behavioral Health manuals) are based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code (101-2012). The NFPA Life Safety Code contains structural requirements for buildings to protect occupants from fire. So, what’s involved and how you can be prepared? Let’s take a look. They apply to organizations accredited under both the Hospital Manual and the Behavioral Health & Human Services manual. Heads up! There’s are new Joint Commission Life Safety standards for business occupancies effective July 1, 2021.
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