The discussion about codes reminds me of what I have faced, working in
hospitals for the past 35
years. Every three years, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations
(JCAHO) surveys most hospitals in the US. Every survey is greeted by hospital
subcontractors with
glee as JCAHO (pronounced jay-koh) changes the requirements for everything from
record keeping to
room size to light intensity.
I have seen the doors from one area to another change every three years from
having a large clear
heavy safety glass window to a large semi-opaque heavy safety glass window to
solid metal to solid
metal with a little bitty window to solid metal with a slightly larger window.
I'm sure I've left
out a couple of changes.
We see JCAHO make requirements on pediatric hospitals that were designed for
adult hospitals, and
which worsen care of pediatric-size patients.
Many of the JCAHO requirements are of a CYA nature. Big glass windows in a
door may fail during a
fire, and the fire may worsen. But since their removal, I've seen several
people knocked
senseless by someone on emergency call charging through one of the doors with
no idea of what's on
the other side. In the past, even the semi-opaque windows alerted you to the
presence of someone
on the opposite side. Of course, now JCAHO requires two humongous doors, each
of which
electrically opens in opposite direction and both of which have photo control
to avoid collision.
I've been trapped once when the photo control circuit failed for 20 minutes,
locking everyone in
(or out of) the unit.
Maybe the NEC is run by the same type of folks.
John
w4kv
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