Fire/Electrical Safety Community-Wide Student Orientation

1
Fire/Electrical Safety Community-Wide Student
Orientation
2
Chemistry of FireFire burns because there are
three elements present...

• Fuel
• Heat
• Oxygen

By removing any one element a fire can not occur,
or a fire will not be able to sustain combustion.
3
Fire Prevention Practices...

• Keep passage ways and exits clear
• Ensure fire extinguishers and fire alarm pull
  stations are accessible at all times
• Place trash in proper receptacles
• Ensure that fire doors are not blocked open

4
Plan for Fire Emergencies...

• Read understand the fire evacuation plan for
  your area
• Know the location of at least two (2) emergency
  exits
• Know the location of fire alarm pull stations and
  fire extinguishers
• Take part in fire drills

5
Plan for Fire Emergencies...

• Have you ever stayed at a hotel and taken the
  time to look at the evacuation plan posted on the
  inside of the room door?
• Think about the following, youre awakened at 3am
  from a sound sleep to hear this loud whistling
  sound or horn blaring. As you begin to wake up
  you smell smoke and suddenly you are no longer
  sleepy.

6
Plan for Fire Emergencies...

• You run to the door, feel it for heat and open
  it. The hallway is full of thick black smoke,
  and it invades your room and your lungs, choking
  you. You fall to the floor and start to crawl
  forward looking for the exit signs. Only you can
  not see them and you do not know where the stairs
  are. And you think to your self ....... your
  alarm rings and you wake up, it was only a dream.
  But it could happen. Always be prepared, know
  your role in the event of a facility fire and
  take an active part.

7
In Case of Fire...

• Remain calm. Dont panic or cause confusion.
  NEVER shout fire.
• Proceed safely to nearest fire exit
• Feel surfaces of doors before opening
• Crawl to exit if smoke is present in area
• Follow instructions of Fire Department
• Remember R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S.

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R.A.C.E. for Fire Safety...

• Rescue anyone in immediate danger.
• Activate the fire alarm pull station
• Contain the fire
• Extinguish the fire, if your safety can be assured

9
P.A.S.S. for Fire Extinguisher Use...

• Pull the pin
• Aim at base of the fire
• Squeeze the handles together
• Sweep from side to side

10
Classes of Fire
The most common fire extinguisher used in
healthcare is multiclass, or what is termed an
ABC class extinguisher.
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Fire Drills...

• Conducted every quarter on every shift in
  Hospital
• Respond immediately as if actual fire. Remember
  R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S.
• All corridor fire doors are connected to fire
  alarm detection system and will close
  automatically once activated

12
Fire Drills...

• Fire doors are designed to withstand fire, heat
  and smoke for a period of 20-minutes to 3 hours.
• Did you know that corridor doors are fire doors
  and should have a 20 minute rating?
• Corridor laboratory doors should have a 60 minute
  rating.
• Fire Doors are required to
• Be Self Closing fire doors should have a door
  closure that pulls doors completely shut after
  the door has been opened
• Have Positive latching a positive latch locks a
  door in place so can open swing open freely.

13
No Smoking Policy...

• Smoking by anyone, which includes patients,
  visitors, medical staff, associates, and visitors
  is prohibited inside the buildings.

14
Electrical Safety Briefing
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What is Electricity?

• A medium that provides a very convenient means
  for transferring energy from one place to another
• Correctly used, electricity is our most versatile
  form of energy
• Control of most electrical hazards is neither
  difficult or expensive, but ignoring them can
  cause serious consequences

16
Characteristics of Electricity...

• Electricity has most of the characteristics of
  water, in that it flows and has a current that
  can be measured

17
Electrical Faults Result in Shock, Burns or
Fire...

• Flow of Current
• Occurs when a person or conducting object bridges
  gap between live conductors and ground or between
  live conductors. This action causes current to
  flow.

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Electrical Faults Result in Shock, Burns or
Fire...

• This is the reasoning behind birds on high
  voltage wires and why they do not fry. Since the
  bird is only on the wire there is no conduction
  between ground or other live conductors.
  However, if I go to trim my trees and touch the
  wires or place my ladder on the wires, I have
  bridged the gap between the live conductor and
  the ground. Current flows from the line through
  my body and gets discharged into the ground.
  That is a big OUCH!

19
Electrical Faults Result In Shock, Burns or
Fire...

• Static Electricity
• Occurs when static electrical charges accumulate
  from friction between dissimilar materials.
  Discharge of static electricity causes a mild
  shock.

20
Causes Of Electric Shock...

• Current flow is the factor that causes injury in
  electric shock body resistance will determine
  the path of flow
• Once the skin is broken, a victim will have
  sharply reduced internal resistance to the flow
  of current

21
Low Voltage Lethal Shock Computations...

• Circuits of 110 volts or less can kill when the
  conditions are right. This is regular household
  current.
• Synchronized cardioversion 100mA

22
Overcurrent Devices...

• Protect circuit from excessive heating by opening
  the circuit automatically in event of excessive
  current flow from accidental ground, short
  circuit, or overload.
• Examples include fuses and circuit breakers.

23
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter...

• GFCI is a fast-acting circuit breaker that is
  sensitive to very low levels of current leakage
  (5mA) to ground. When leakage becomes hazardous,
  it interrupts circuit.

24
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter...

• You can find GFCIs in what electricians call
  wet areas such as the bathroom and kitchen.
  GFCIs are normally used for outside wiring
  outlets also.

25
Electrical SafetyPolicy...

• An equipment management plan exists to identify,
  evaluate, inventory, and maintain medical
  equipment to reduce the physical and health risks
  associated with its usage
• All biomedical and electrical equipment used in a
  Hospital must be inspected and tested prior to
  use and labeled with a safety sticker

26
Electrical SafetyPolicy...

• All electrical devices a patient may bring into
  the hospital need to be inspected and tested
  prior to use and labeled with a safety sticker
  prior to their use.

27
Electrical Safety Rules...

• Visually inspect all equipment for damage prior
  to use
• Do not use extension cords for permanent wiring
• Unplug equipment by pulling on the plug and not
  the cord
• Damaged or defective biomedical/electrical
  equipment must be removed from service and
  reported to appropriate authority for repair

28
Electrical Safety Rules...

• Keep fluids, chemicals, and heat away from
  equipment, cords, and cables
• Maintain sufficient access around equipment
  panels for operations/maintenance
• Do not touch energized/conductive surfaces with
  one hand while touching the patient with the
  other
• Know the function of each control prior to using
  equipment

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Emergency Power

• Hospitals are equipped with emergency generators
  which will start automatically if there is a loss
  of electrical power
• Emergency generators are tested monthly in
  Hospitals
• Red electrical outlets provide emergency power
  for critical patient care equipment

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Points to Remember

• Just to recap,fire requires three elements. Heat
  source, fuel and oxygen. When one is absent,
  there can be no fire.
• It is important to take an active part in fire
  drills so that you are aware of what your role is
  in the event of a fire.
• Remember R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S.

31
Points to Remember

• Electricity is a convenient source of energy but
  should not be taken for granted.
• It has a current that can be measured and if not
  respected can kill.
• The human body has the ability to conduct
  electricity and serves as the conducting object
  when an individual touches a live circuit.

32
Points to Remember

• All patient electrical devices must be checked
  and cleared by biomed prior to use in the
  facility, they will have a tag attached when this
  has been completed.
• Most of electrical safety, and for that matter
  fire safety, involves common sense and an ability
  to keep your eyes open for hazards in the work
  place.