Last Updated on June 8, 2023 by Ossian Muscad
Every hospital facility is established with the primary goal of caring for individuals who are ill or injured. With the focus on treatment and healthcare services, the last thing they need is to handle preventable safety risks that can be managed and controlled by carrying out a thorough hospital safety inspection at least once every six months.
What Is A Hospital Safety Inspection?
A Hospital Safety Inspection is a routine hospital facility check that facilitates the prevention of workplace accidents, injuries, and infections. These safety inspections assist in discovering and documenting safety risks so they can be addressed through preventative measures. Committees for Health and Safety can aid in the organization, implementation, tracking, and oversight of these inspections.
The inspection team may include engineers, service technicians, industrial hygienists, health and security experts, managers, or directors. They may also be called upon to assist with specific inspection tasks or to explain technology procedures.
Why Is It Important?
Routine hospital safety inspections are an ideal way to see hazards as they appear and take proper action. As part of appropriate hospital facilities management, hospitals must conduct these checks at least once every six months. Additionally, these inspections allow hospital staff to voice their reservations and address any health or safety-related problems. These inspections also serve a variety of particular purposes:
- Recognizing actual or potentially risky conditions
- Identifying the fundamental causes of such risks.
- Keeping track of risk management.
- Proposing measures to be taken to solve each risk
- Considering the concerns of both employees and managers
- Providing more insight on safety regulations.
Advantages of a Hospital Safety Inspection
A hospital safety inspection is a crucial tool that assists hospital facilities in managing potential work-related risks and promoting staff well-being. Moreover, it is employed in the healthcare industry to improve organizational procedures and encourage quality improvements like the following:
- Nurture a culture of safety. Both managers and staff may feel more committed to work safety and well-being when inspections are done regularly.
- Minimizing risks. Regular hospital safety inspections recognize risks early before they become major issues.
- Boosting productivity. Hospital staff can put in more effort to achieve particular objectives and finish tasks when they aren’t concerned about running into risks and hazards during their daily activities.
- Facilitating accountability. Safety inspections can assist staff in developing a sense of responsibility for workplace safety.
- Complying with regulations. Routine safety inspections also ensure that the current hospital safety standards are up-to-date and conform with the latest safety legislation.
What is a Hospital Safety Inspection Checklist?
A hospital safety inspection checklist serves as an evaluation tool that presents an organized method for examining equipment, workspaces, and health and safety practices. This allows audit teams to move through a hospital facility effectively, keeping the inspection process comprehensive, structured, and on track.
What Are The Elements of a Hospital Safety Inspection Checklist?
Every hospital safety inspection checklist closely addresses elements that could become unsafe or risky due to misuse, mishandling, pressure, temperatures, corrosion, chemical reaction, and other factors. These elements are narrowed down to the following:
Fire Safety and Exits
This refers to a hospital facility’s readiness for fire and explosions.
- [ ] Doors and entrances are properly kept open.
- [ ] Smoke and fire detectors are operational.
- [ ] Fire extinguishers are readily available and functional.
- [ ] Emergency exit signs are lit properly.
- [ ] Passageways and emergency exits are clear of any obstructions.
- [ ] No unregistered heat-generating equipment is in place.
- [ ] Combustible materials are properly stored.
General Security Management
Includes every element of preserving hospital facilities and its employees’ assets.
- [ ] Sensitive information is properly secured and maintained.
- [ ] Staff personal belongings are secured.
- [ ] Security measures are functional.
- [ ] Prescription drugs and medications are kept safely.
General Safety
The current state of all hospital resources for regulatory compliance.
- [ ] Safety requirements for floors and aisles.
- [ ] Safety criteria for stairways.
- [ ] All the lights are working.
- [ ] Present condition of all windows
- [ ] Present condition of all walls and ceiling tiles.
Hazardous Materials Safety
As indicated on their labeling, items should be stored appropriately
- [ ] Gas tanks are properly maintained.
- [ ] Dangerous materials are kept properly.
- [ ] Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is available to staff members.
Electrical Safety
Identifying the risks that come with using electricity.
- [ ] Extension cables are grounded.
- [ ] Electrical sockets are functional.
- [ ] Necessary equipment is connected to a red outlet.
- [ ] Protective covers on every switch and receptacle.
Tip: Give an overview of the hospital safety inspection so the inspecting officer can review and certify it.
Create an Automated Hospital Safety Inspection Checklist with DATAMYTE
With the trend of today’s digitization, you can’t afford to get stuck with paper-based checklists or complex spreadsheet data. Organize, design, and streamline those tedious tasks all at the same time using DATAMYTE’s low-code solutions. Take advantage of our customizable, premade templates and checklist builder, where you can create specific hospital safety inspection checklists and automatically delegate inspection tasks to your assigned teams.
The DataMyte Digital Clipboard, in particular, features a built-in checklist and smart form builder with the convenience of a drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to create any checklist and form template you need—including a hospital safety inspection checklist.
To create a checklist or form template using DATAMYTE, follow these steps:
- Log in to DATAMYTE and navigate to the ‘Checklist’ module.
- Click “Create Checklist” to create a new checklist or form template.
- Add a Title to the checklist or form template; select the category it belongs to.
- Click “Add Item” to add items to the checklist or form template.
- Add appropriate descriptions to each item, the type of answer required, and other relevant specifications.
- Assign the personnel responsible for completing the checklist.
- Indicate any required approvals from other relevant personnel, such as supervisors or quality assurance managers.
- Save your checklist; it will now be available on any device. You can also print a physical copy of your checklist.
DATAMYTE also lets you conduct layered process audits, a systematic review of critical process steps. This auditing method focuses on the areas with the highest risk of failure or non-compliance. By conducting LPA using DATAMYTE, you can effectively identify and correct risks before they escalate.
With DATAMYTE, you have the perfect solution for creating and implementing hospital safety inspection checklists. Book a demo today for free! Get in touch with us to learn more about how DATAMYTE can help you.
Conclusion
Healthcare institutions can maintain safety compliance and up-to-date safety practices by adopting digital technologies to keep their inspections accurate and reliable.
