DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF EMERGENCY PLAN

Design and construction of emergency plan



Executive summary

With the increase in worldwide terrorism incidents, hospital disaster plans need to be scrutinized to ensure they include preparedness elements that are unique to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents. The practice of emergency planning varies considerably among hospital facilities. The nature of the hospital planning process reflects a facility's size, functions, and resources. Larger health care facilities have more resources and personnel and greater organizational complexity in medical specialization. Such hospitals tend to create formalized processes and rely more heavily on written plans and interagency agreements. (Macintyre 2000 pp. 242)

Smaller facilities may adopt an informal process based on personal relationships and produce few written documents. Communities with a high frequency of hazard impacts—hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California— are also likely to have a formalized planning process, even in smaller jurisdictions. The threat of WMD transcends these patterns because of the difficulty in predicting such events and the lack of geographic or seasonal focus. (Murphy 2009 pp. B10)

Recommendation for revision

Comply with codes, standards and a regulation is an important aspect of hospital operations management. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has developed standards that require hospitals to develop (Standard CE 1.4) and regular exercise (CE Standard 2.9.1) an emergency response plan. Rules generally do not have the force of law, unless a local government body to take. Regardless of whether the competent authority has adopted the standards, codes, standards are frequently cited in court cases. (Kenar 2004 pp. 84)

In contrast, hospitals must comply with federal and state regulations and standards that are promulgated and enforced by a regulatory agency. Some regulations pertaining to the preparation for weapons of mass destruction found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and include HAZWOPER (29 CFR 1910.120 (q)), personal protective equipment (29 CFR 1910. 132), eyes and face (29 CFR 1910.133) and respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134). Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title I was enacted to require the Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) to enforce health and safety regulations. (Buerhaus 2009 pp. 2948)

OSHA 1910.120 describes the minimum knowledge, skills and abilities that must be met by first responders. Although not directly related to health centers, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes standards for the fire service that define the competencies for first responders to hazardous materials incidents. These documents may be useful in designing training programs for hospital preparedness. (Buck 2008 pp. 23)

Finally, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) works in close collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the development of regulations related to protecting health workers from infectious diseases. hospital planners should be aware of the codes, rules and regulations to ensure that emergency plans and training programs meet minimum standards. (Bremer 2003 pp. 370)

The establishment of regional relations

Hospitals are essential parts of the system that forms a community. As such, they are involved with government, providers, law ...