Fire protection is of the highest importance in keeping life and property safe, Fire Protection in healthcare facilities is especially challenging where patients and staff defend in place.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported last year that U.S. fire departments responded to approximately 5,750 major fires in healthcare facilities a year. Those fires resulted in an average of two deaths per fire. There were 157 injuries from those fires and a considerable amount of property damage, in the region of $50 billion per year.
Those occupying a hospital have unique challenges when it comes to exiting a building during a fire as they simply may not be able to leave the building. Clinical staff must have a basic understanding of the features of Fire Safety as they work in the healthcare environment. Some of the features of fire protection in healthcare facilities are obvious to the staff and public, others are not. For example, doors held open by magnetic hold opens close, audible alarms sound and visual strobes activate, which are obvious. Dampers inside the duct work is not. Those components that are designed to alert occupants of an emergency condition must be understood by all staff. This is where defend in place comes into play. The defend in place is used as a strategy for fire protection in healthcare facilities where the patients are unable to leave the building, for example patients that are connected to specialized equipment or life supports systems. Healthcare staff keep these patients in the facility and continue to give them the treatment they require.
Healthcare facilities are designed to support a defend in place fire emergency strategy minimizing the need to evacuate, and when possible allow for patients to remain in place or relocate within the building.
IMEC Technologies provides Safety Management Software to increase worker safety and aid compliance. IMEC’s Safety Management Software will manage inspections and audits, provides hazard identification, incident reporting, management of corrective and preventative actions from generation to closure. IMEC provides lock out tag out software solutions that will allow users to create lockout tagout procedures using an intuitive Mobile App and Manage Lockout Tagout Procedures, also the Review and Execution of those Lockout Tagout Procedures using the Mobile App. Annual Lockout Tagout Procedures audits are conducted using a Mobile App. The Mobile Inspection App allow users to perform inspections and audits, for example the system can be used as a Fire Extinguisher Barcode Inspection Software system to manage monthly fire extinguisher inspections and general fire safety inspections and also to record safety observations and manage corrective actions, anywhere and anytime. The solution can be used as a fire extinguisher barcode inspection software system or life safety inspection system to aid compliance in Higher Education, Healthcare, Industrial and Commercial Organizations. Benefits from a Fire Extinguisher Barcode System include the elimination of paperwork and reducing the burden of compliance with regulations such as NFPA, The Joint Commission. The Incident Reporting App allows users to easily and quickly report incidents, hazards and near-misses, these are then sent to the appropriate people for action and are managed to closure. Web Apps provide features such as, setup, management, scheduling tools, analysis, reporting and dashboards etc with the ability to report incidents to government bodies such as OSHA and RIDDOR. HazMat T&T is a hazardous waste management software solution designed for Environmental Service Companies and companies who generate a large quantity of hazardous waste. The solution tracks hazardous waste from cradle to grave aiding compliance, providing accurate waste inventory, increasing waste handling efficiency, reducing risk and also helps manage waste costs. HazMat T&T Hazardous Waste Management Software can be deployed in a number of deployment scenarios, from Large Hazardous Waste Generators, tracking their hazardous waste at their site to Environmental Service and Waste Management Companies using it track and manage hazardous waste at transfer and disposal sites. For more information visit our website www.imectechnologies.com