NFPA 99
2012 EDITION OVERVIEW AND
DISCUSSION
Presented by
Dave Dagenais, BS, SASHE, CHFM, CHSP
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Not Speaking on Behalf of NFPA
NFPA Process Overview
(Document Cycle)
 Proposal period
 NFPA generates a Report On Proposal
 Comment period
 NFPA generates a Report on Comments
 Notice of Intent to Make A Motion
 NFPA publishes the NITMAMs
 Annual meeting with Technical Session
 Membership Votes
New England Healthcare Engineers’ Society
NFPA 99 (2nd cycle)
Specific Opportunities to Influence Code
Anyone can submit proposals na
Proposal Closing Date was – na
Technical Committees met December, 2009 (previous proposals)
(Report on Proposals posted – 6/25/2010)
Anyone can submit comments
Comment Closing Date – 9/3/2010 (over 330 comments)
Technical Committees meet next week
(Report on Comments posted – 2/25/2011
Opportunity
Notice of Intent to Make A Motion
NITMAM closing date – 4/8/2011
NFPA Conference with Technical Session June 2011 BOSTON
New England Healthcare Engineers’ Society
New Items Overview
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Standard becomes a Code
Fundamentals Chapter on Risk
Information Technology and Communication Systems
Plumbing
Heating
Emergency Management (new requirements)
Security
Fire Protection unique to Health Care Facilities
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Scope
• Establish criteria to minimize:
• The hazards of fire,
• Explosion, and
• Electricity
• Applies to facilities providing services to human
beings only
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Purpose
• To provide minimum requirements for the:
• Performance
• Maintenance, Testing and Inspection
• Safe practices based on risk
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Application
 Applies to all health care facilities
 Applies to new Construction and equipment only
• altered or renovated or modernized
 Some testing and maintenance requirements apply to
existing
 Emergency Management and Security apply to
existing
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How the Code Works
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Determine the worst case procedure.
Select the Risk Category.
Select the systems or procedures in the Code that
are prescribed by that level of risk Category
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Categories
 Category 1 - System Failure that would probably
cause patients or caregivers major injury or death.
 Category 2 - System Failure that would most likely
cause minor injury to patients or caregivers.
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Categories
 Category 3 - System Failure that would most likely
cause discomfort to patients or caregivers.
 Category 4 - System failure has no impact on
patients or caregivers.
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Definition of Healthcare Facility
 3.3.68
 Buildings or portions of building in which medical,
dental psychiatric, nursing, obstetrical, or surgical care
is provided. (ADM)
 (Non-residential) Buildings or portions of building in
which medical, dental psychiatric, nursing, obstetrical,
or surgical care is provided. (ADM)
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Gas and Vacuum Systems
(Chapter 5)
 New Section on Cryogenic
Systems
 Working with NFPA 55 on bulk
oxygen requirements
 Tested for proper function
 For purity, alarm sensors
 Operation of the control sensors
 Installers need 6015 qualification
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Gas and Vacuum Systems
(Chapter 5)
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Technical Committee rejected annual outlet/inlet
testing requirement
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Gas and Vacuum Systems
(Chapter 5)
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Rejected requiring ASSE 6040 (certification of
maintenance workers) but recommended it in the
annex
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Gas and Vacuum Systems
(Chapter 5)
 Continue to prohibit the use of medical air for any
other purpose
• Scope cleaning
• Decontamination
• Laser plume, etc.
 Med gasses may only be used for human
consumption and calibration
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Gas and Vacuum Systems
(Chapter 5)
 Adding testing and inspection requirements on
existing non-stationary medical booms (annually)
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Definition of “Wet Location” changes to “Wet
Procedure Located” throughout the entire document
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Requires all operating rooms to be wet procedure
locations (unless risk assessment is done)
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Electrical Receptacle Testing
 Revise 4.3.4.1.2 to read: “ Additional testing of
receptacles in patient care areas shall be
performed at intervals defined by documented
performance data, but not exceeding 5 years.”
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Permits isolated power or ground fault protection
within operating rooms
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Requires that overcurrent protection devices only be
accessible to authorized personnel and not
permitted in public access spaces
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Increases number of receptacles
 General Care – From 4 to 8
 Critical Care – From 6 to 14
 Operating Rooms – New requirement of 36
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Eliminates emergency system heading and
equipment system heading and utilizes branches
• Life Safety
• Critical
• Equipment
This should exempt us from the 700 chapter in the NEC
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Permits fuel transfer pumps,
receptacles, ventilation fans,
louvers and cooling systems
related to generators to be added
to the life safety or critical branch
(deleted from equipment branch)
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Added text to permit a 0.1 second delay for
selective coordination
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 Monthly Generator Testing - 10 second
transfer not required
(Annual Confirmation)
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 In existing facilities with no separate
grounding conductor – annual test
requirement
 Voltage readings
 Impedance measurements with conductive surfaces
in the areas
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
 New section which permits
switches in lighting circuits
connected to Life Safety and
critical branch as long as they
don’t serve as illumination of
egress as required by NFPA
101
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Electrical Systems
(Chapter 6)
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New section on
campus electrical
systems being
added
 Clears up conflicts
with NEC
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IT and Communication
(Chapter 7)
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New chapter covers
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IT rooms
Fire protection
Nurse call
Emergency call
Staff emergency assistance
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Plumbing
(Chapter 8)
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New chapter based on categories
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Potable water
Non-potable water
Heating water
Water conditioning
Black waste water
Grey waste water
Clear waste water
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Heating
(Chapter 9)
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New chapter addresses
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Heating, cooling and ventilation
Humidity control
Ventilation system requirements
Airborne contaminant controls
Ventilation for waste anesthetic gases disposal system
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Medical Equipment
(Chapter 10)
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Patient Care Vicinity
 The Technical Committee rejected
expanded definition of the patient
vicinity
Proposal stated: an electrical appliance that is
intended to be used for diagnostic,
therapeutic or monitoring purposes
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Gas Equipment
(Chapter 11)
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New standard allows use of piped 02 for ozone
sterilizers
Equipment using medical grade oxygen from the
piped distribution system shall meet the following
requirements
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Not permanently attached
Connected using wall outlet or flexible hose
Medical device listed by FDA
 The TCC will have to address the conflict with Med
Gas
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Emergency Management
(Chapter 12)
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Completely rewritten and expanded for 2012
 Two categories of risk
 In-patient facility is expected to be operable
 In-patient and out-patient areas that augment the
critical mission but not receive in-patients
Requires a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA)
 Natural Hazards
 Human-caused Events
 Technological Events
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Emergency Management
(Chapter 12)
 Requires plans to manage resources and assets
 Requires Exercises
 Requires Evaluation of Exercises
 Special Care was taken to avoid conflicts with the
Joint Commission and CMS
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Security Management
(Chapter 13)
 Planning for protection of the Staff and Facility
beyond disasters
 Requires a Security Vulnerability Assessment (SVA)
 Requires a responsible person
 Education requirements of security staff
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Customer Service
Emergency Procedures
Use of Force
De-escalation
Use of Restraints
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Security Management
(Chapter 13)
 Requires procedures for
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Hostage
Bomb Threat
Workplace Violence
Disorderly Conduct
Restraining Orders
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Security Management
(Chapter 13)
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Identifies known security sensitive areas
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Emergency Departments
Pediatric and Infant Care units
Medication Storage
Clinical Labs
Forensic Patient Treatment Areas
Dementia or Behavior Health Units
Communications, data infrastructure and medical records
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Security Management
(Chapter 13)
 Other subjects covered
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Media control
Crowd control
Security equipment – follow NFPA 731
Employee practices
Security operations
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Features of Fire Protection
(Chapter 15)
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Fire alarm and detection
Protection of gas cylinder storage
HVAC detection requirements
 Comments on sprinklers in closets
 Comments on defend in place concepts
 Comments on mobile storage units
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Next Steps
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Technical committees meet next week
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NFPA 99 Goes to annual NFPA meeting in 2011
for adoption in
BOSTON
 I predict that 30 items or more will go to
a floor vote.
New England Healthcare Engineers’ Society
It’s Time for All of Us to Get
Involved
1. Become an NFPA member by
December 14, 2010
2. Go to Boston for the vote on
June 14 and 15, 2011
3. Support Healthcare on the floor
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Your Vote Can Make a Difference
 Last year we removed the 5-year requirement for
an obstruction inspection from NFPA 25; the vote
was 43 to 35
 Weekly fire pump test was eliminated with a vote
of 40 to 40
 Last year NFPA 99 got set back to committee with a
vote of 73 to 50
This Membership alone could blow those
votes out of the water
New England Healthcare Engineers’ Society
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
QUESTIONS?
Dave Dagenais, BS, SASHE, CHFM, CHSP
Dave.Dagenais@wdhospital.com