Why Are Electrical Safety Checks Important In Medical Offices?
Electricity is a fundamental part of any office, including healthcare settings such as a clinic or a medical office. However, the electric current and voltage available to power a medical office has the potential to be a safety hazard. Electric power can cause a number of accidents or incidents including electrocution. Electrocution is extremely dangerous and can even cause death. All of this can be mitigated upfront by having simple safety checks in place to make sure all electricity hazards are taken care of; you can completely eliminate the risk of such accidents and give yourself the peace of mind of running your medical office safely. This article will help explain why it is important to have regular electric safety checks in medical offices.
Patient Safety
Patient safety is first and foremost in any medical practice. The health care facilities code lays out in detail the full requirements needed for a safe operating location – if you are interested in reading more please visit https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=99. In order to be compliant with NFPA99, your practice must be inspected annually for electrical safety standards. Any electrical device that comes in contact with a patient must ensure proper grounding, minimal current leakage and overall general safety. If a certain unit does not meet requirements, it must be repaired or replaced before being put back into service.
NFPA Safety Codes(opens in a new tab)
To Avoid Insurance Liability
In today’s day and age, insurance companies are a game-changer for all healthcare facilities, including clinics and private practice offices. Getting charged with insurance liabilities and entering into settlement meetings with insurance companies’ representatives can be a nightmare in itself, not counting the physical toll the incident causes in the first place. It will not only cause a heavy financial blow to your business but can be extremely damaging for your image and reputation among your patients and future potential patients.
Regular Safety Checks For All Your Electric Equipment
You must make sure that you have regular electric safety checks scheduled at your clinic and that equipment that is involved in patient care is inspected thoroughly. In our opinion, having a standardized safety checklist in place would make things uniform and easier for you. An Electric safety inspection should be scheduled every year and must be done by a professionally trained technician. After every safety inspection, you also need to get a Report of certification for your office, to have evidence of the safety check. This will also serve as a good reminder about when the next electrical safety check is due.
What Equipment Need To Checked?
Any medical equipment that is powered by electricity and will come in contact with a patient must be checked and approved for safe use.
Prioritize Maintenance And Safety Checks Of Your Electric Equipment
Having smooth and safe functioning electrical equipment is required in order to provide a pleasant experience for your patients. In the digital world that we live in, a single bad review given by your patients is enough to jeopardize your practice.
Recap
We hope that you enjoyed reading this article. Electrical safety is extremely important and an integral part of your medical office. If you are interested in having a Sierra technician visit your location on-site to help you with any questions or inspections, please feel free to reach out by phone at 443 296 7435, or by email at info@sierrabiomed.com
