Trash Chute Door2963947
Wow… What a scary site to see. Trash bags caught in the trash chute in such a way that it prevents the chute doors from automatically closing. And make no error about it, the trash chute doors are required to close and latch, automatically.
Section 19.five.four.three of the 2000 edition of the Life Security Code requires trash chutes to discharge into trash collection rooms and the trash collection rooms can't be utilized for any other objective. So, that indicates you cannot store items that are not associated to the trash chute in the space, such as floor scrubber machines.
The scene in the image is commonly caused by the failure to empty the cart in time, before it fills up to the point exactly where the bags of trash prevent the chute doors from closing. In today’s economy, it is not all that uncommon to learn that staff reductions in the Environmental Services (housekeeping) division stop sufficient staffing to remove the trash bags. While this might be a legitimate purpose, someone at this hospital forgot the significance of removing the trash on a normal basis. They need to make this a priority.
From a life safety point of view, it would be better to eliminate the cart and permit the bags to fall onto the floor. This way it would take a lot more bags of trash to pile up prior to it would obstruct the chute door from closing. I’m not certain what the hospital’s Infection Control professional would say about that, but I would recommend it as an option if the ES division can't empty the cart often sufficient.
If you determine to allow the bags of trash to accumulate on the floor in the trash chute discharge room, I suggest you conduct a danger assessment to analyze the dangers to patient security. This way, you can demonstrate to a surveyor that the dangers were considered if the surveyor has a issue with bags o’ trash scattered on the floor.
