Environmental Health and Safety - National Commission on Correctional Health Care
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Environmental Health and Safety

The 2008 Infection Control standard (B-01) now requires a monthly environmental inspection to be conducted of areas where health services are provided. This is to verify that equipment is maintained, that the unit is clean and sanitary and that measures are taken to ensure the unit is occupationally and environmentally safe. Please note that the 2003 Ectoparasite Control (B-04) standard is also addressed in the 2008 Infection Control standard.

— From CorrectCare Volume 23, Issue 1, Winter 2009

Whew! Let’s take your issues one at a time.

  1. Documentation of environmental and infection control practices can include inspection reports, meeting minutes, quality improvement studies, policies and procedures specifying such practices, logs or other evidence of appropriate sterilization of instruments and equipment, sharps disposal containers, evidence that biohazardous materials are handled and disposed of appropriately, etc.
  2. Inspections by outside agencies are useful, but they are not required for accreditation.
  3. Similarly, while NCCHC recommends that agencies follow OSHA and CDC guidelines, the commission’s surveyors are not inspectors for those government agencies.

— From CorrectCare Volume 15, Issue 3, Summer 2001