The facility planning process should be organized according to a range of requirements to planning, re-designing, and constructing new health care facilities. Four important requirements for facility planning are associated with the safety standards, and they are the disaster preparedness, evacuation system, hazard control system, and safety system. While planning the health care facility, the architects focus on its disaster preparedness in order to guarantee that the construction of the facility cannot be destroyed with the power of storms, winds, hurricanes, and explosions (Hayward, 2006, p. 84). The next important requirement is the planning of the evacuation system according to the state standards. The plan of the facility should be developed in order to address the necessity of evacuating many ambulatory patients and clients who should be assisted during the evacuation (Shi & Singh, 2011, p. 124).
The third important requirement is the development of the hazard control system which includes the planned work with chemicals and reagents which can lead to intoxication and explosions. This requirement is associated with responding to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations (Hayward, 2006, p. 102-108; Shi & Singh, 2011, p. 124). Although the mentioned requirements are focused on safety control and planning, while designing the facility, it is also necessary to address the separate safety system which includes the control of the clients and staff’s safety in relation to parking zones, ventilation system, and waiting room zones. These aspects along with a range of other ones are addressed while working out the Certificate of Need (Certificate of Need, 2012).
From this point, the requirements for facility planning are developed according to such regulations and certifications as the Certificate of Need (CON) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. The CON is the application certificate that is provided to the state review agency in order to receive approval for re-designing or constructing a new facility (Certificate of Need, 2012). The CON can be discussed as beneficial for the health care industry because the approval of the facility planning according to the CON guarantees the construction of a high-quality health care center. Thus, the CON can affect the facility design and construction in relation to the necessity of revising the proposed plans and projects in order to address the norms of the states’ department of health regarding the health care facility construction.
The OSHA regulations are specific requirements that are developed for different industries in order to contribute to the employee’s and clients’ safety. The OSHA regulations related to the health care industry and facility planning include Hazard Communication Control, Bloodborne Pathogens Control, Emergency Action Plan, Engineering Controls, Noise Handling, Personal Protective Equipment, Hazardous Chemicals Control, and Work Practice Control (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2014). These regulations are important to be addressed while planning and constructing specific health care facilities because the architect’s and designers’ focus on these requirements guarantees the safety of employees and patients. The OSHA regulations can affect the facility design and construction while providing different regulations for various types of facilities depending on specialization and factors of the patient treatment (Shi & Singh, 2011, p. 112). The staff of the facilities should be compliant with the OSHA controls and regulations in order to contribute to protecting the staff and patients’ safety and avoid the violation of the stated norms.
References
Certificate of Need. (2012). Web.
Hayward, C. (2006). Healthcare facility planning: Thinking strategically. USA: Health Administration Press.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2014). Web.
Shi, L., & Singh, D. (2011). Delivering health care in America. USA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.