Most hospitals and larger facilities have personnel who are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of their medical gas source equipment, but what about smaller facilities and surgery centers who do not have an on-site maintenance staff?
The majority of service calls we receive from surgery centers are for suspected leaks in a manifold or a lag alarm on a vacuum pump. The facility discovers this when they have returned to the facility and alarms are blaring. At this point it is an emergency, but this emergency is usually preventable.
Using simple daily logs, the facility can begin tracking what their average usage is. If deviations start to show in the amount of gas used or hours tallied on the vacuum pumps, it will become apparent before it is an emergency. This will also help the facility’s service company diagnose the problem.
For more information on tracking your usage and for free downloadable forms please contact EMGS at info.emgsi.com or visit www.emgsi.com.
Brazing Continuity
Once an individual has passed an ASSE 6010 Installer course they are required to submit a brazing continuity affidavit, stating that they have successfully brazed using the proper procedure. This is done on a 6 month basis. At EMGS, Inc. we mail continuity forms to all of our installers and require them to sign and return them for verification of this requirement. The code reference for this requirement is below:
The 2005 edition of NFPA 99 in paragraph 5.1.10.10.12.7 states:
“Performance qualification of brazers shall remain in effect indefinitely unless the brazer does not braze with the qualified procedure for a period exceeding 6 months; or there is a specific reason to question the ability of the brazer.”
If you hold an Installer license, it is very important that you adhere to this so there is no lapse in the validity of your license. Please check periodically with your certifying agency for requirements and examine your brazing license to be sure all expiration dates are valid.
Most of the states in the U.S. have passed legislation requiring individuals that install medical gas systems to have an ASSE 6010 credential. This type of credential (and course) is relatively familiar to most parties involved in the design, installation, verification, and maintenance of these systems; however, the ASSE 6000 standard published in 2006 actually contains a total of eight discipline compliance standards, which are as follows:
ASSE 6005 – General Information (usually applicable to engineers)
ASSE 6010 – Medical Gas Systems Installers
ASSE 6015 – Bulk Systems Installers
ASSE 6020 – Medical Gas Systems Inspectors
ASSE 6030 – Medical Gas Verifiers
ASSE 6040 – Maintenance Personnel
ASSE 6050 – Medical Gas Systems Instructors
ASSE 6055 – Bulk Systems Instructors
Some states are now contemplating the passage of legislation which would require credentialing to the “ASSE 6040 Maintenance Personnel” standard for all individuals who are involved in the “repair and maintenance” of medical gas systems. Also under consideration is the credentialing of municipal inspectors to the ASSE 6020 “Medical Gas Systems Inspectors” standard. Compliance with these standards will help to ensure that procedures, decisions, and documentation regarding medical gas systems are performed by individuals with the knowledge base to do so. All trades involved in these practices need to be aware of their state’s current legislative requirements.
Please visit the following links for two examples of states that are making legislative changes regarding medical gas licensing.
http://m.nysenate.gov/legislation/api/1.0/lrs-print/bill/S4702-2011
http://www.iapmonline.org/Documents/archive/20100510_MedicalGas_KS.aspx